Materials of History: Saving and Discarding

Abstract

Is this a fair description of conditions in typical large American libraries? Buildings that once seemed so spacious gradually (rapidly?) fill with books, journals, and other kinds of stuff. We squeeze in more ranges, making aisles too narrow for comfort or efficiency; then add little sections of disjunctive, unmatching shelves in whatever nooks happen to be left. We put big, old, ugly encyclopedic sets on the crowns of shelving units—all right, maybe, for basketball players. Fading papers hang shaggily into space intended for people.

Citation

Broadus, R.N. (1990), "Materials of History: Saving and Discarding", Collection Building, Vol. 10 No. 1/2, pp. 3-6. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb023260