Bancroftiana, Number 123 Fall 2003: Moving The Bancroft Library: 1950

Moving The Bancroft Library: 1950

The feature article in the premier issue of Bancroftiana, published in March 1950, reported at great length on the recent opening of lush, new quarters for The Bancroft Library. As Bancroft contemplates a move to temporary quarters (2005–2007), to accommodate the seismic retrofit and renovation of its current Doe Library Annex quarters, we could not resist the opportunity to reprint portions of this story.

Down from the Attic

Since 1922 the Bancroft has been on the fourth floor of the University Library, wedged under the eaves in cramped quarters which not only provided improper housing for the Library’s fine and rare materials, but hampered scholars in their research because of lack of facilities. Shelf space was exhausted, and the manuscript room overflowed with accumulated miscellany. Staff and students alike have welcomed the relocation, which meant more room for the proper arrangement and accessibility of materials, and the enlarged and more comfortable work space for research. The Bancroft Library has now completed its sixth move since its creation by Hubert Howe Bancroft. It is hoped that this is the last step before the Library is finally established in a permanent building of its own at some not-too-distant date . . . The benefits of square footage and modern equipment are not to be ignored, however. Even the most sentimental of those who hung their hats informally on the bust of Hubert Howe Bancroft will admit the advantages to the new generations - who will henceforth write their dissertations in surroundings of chromium and fluorescent light.

The New Bancroft

FIRST OF ALL, it’s cheerful. There’s lots of color, and lots of light, and so much more space that it still seems almost unbelievable. The new Bancroft occupies three levels, and it is now possible for each department to have its own headquarters. On the lower floor are the manuscript reading room, with its workroom and storage shelves; the elaborate new map cases; newspaper files; and stacks for rare books. There is also one room, still unfurnished, which will be used for the reading of microfilm. On the main floor are the general reference desk and reading room, more stacks, and workspaces for reference librarians, book catalogers, and those who take care of periodicals. Additional general stacks are on the mezzanine floor. Since the Bancroft houses over a mile and half of books [Ed. Note: Today this figure is estimated at more than seven miles], measured as they stand neatly upright on shelves, a great deal of stack space is necessary. Special fluorescent lighting, known as “slimline” installations, provides continuous lines of light along the aisles. In the old Bancroft there were 48 tables available for individual assignment. Now there are 58 places, 24 of them in the general reading room, 15 in the manuscripts department, and 19 in the carrels on the lower floor. Much of the wooden furniture was designed by Mr. John Takeuchi to meet the special needs of the Library.

In order that friends of the Bancroft may know something of its “inner workings,” a brief description of each department is given below.

THE HANDSOMEST PART of the Library Annex is Bancroft’s main reading room. Its turquoise walls, Venetian blinds, marbleized floors, and custom-built furniture of blond oak tempt all visitors to stay. A determined effort, however, is being made to reserve the individual desks and the unassigned tables for those actually using Bancroft materials. Air-conditioning and fluorescent light make research more comfortable. The stacks, a bright canary yellow, are well lighted, and the bottom shelves left vacant for present comfort and future expansion. Stair and elevator areas are a rich, ripe tomato red, for easy visibility among the mazes of yellow. Exhibit cases in the section open to the public would be desirable but have not thus far been provided.

Old-timers in the Library are quickly adjusting themselves to the new elegance, and many new comers are attracted to it. Circulation shows promise of almost being doubled what it was when Bancroft was located on the fourth floor. Supervision of the reading room is now possible at all times, due to the increased staff of pages (student assistants), convenient location of the catalogue, and installation of telephone and intercommunication system at the desk. A locked entrance to the stacks and manuscript reading room permits double checking of all who pass the inner portal. The staff is rapidly becoming adjusted to new routines and hopes to continue the same old friendly service.

Whether this is a step forward or in reverse is a question we must ask our readers to decide. At any rate, we are in motion.