Villanova University - Belle Air Yearbook (Villanova, PA)

Page 24 text:

LIBRARY With larger quarters and spacious facilities to house all reference books, the reading room is now extensively utilized by students. An efficient staff is olwoys available for consultation and help in procuring desired information. Complete sets of Encyclopedias, current biographies and foreign language dictionaries are part of the popularly used texts. The Library forms o third building of a proposed quadrangle. It commands an imposing position on one of the most travelled paths on the campus and excells all other campus edifices in both exterior and interior beauty. St. Augustine, in the foreground, stands watchfully over those who enter the building.

Page 23 text:

Colled by many, the most modern building of its kind in the country, Commodore Barry Hall, contains all the administrative offices, classrooms, and other drill rooms necessary to train the men in the Navy program assigned to Villanova. A masterpiece in functional architecture, it also blonds hormoniously with the rest of the campus. Inside everything is ship shape. From the light and airy classrooms, to the navigation bridge and fire con- trol center: in the small arms firing range and special classroom for submarine procedure, everything is de- signed to acquaint the Midshipmen with the latest in naval equipment and technique.

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REALIZATION OF A DREAM As yet un-nomed. the new Librory was, perhaps, the most eagerly awaited of all the buildings erected during the post two years. The college administration and faculty hod long recognized the need and importance of a good library facilify on the campus and had started preliminary work on the plans for such a building. Tho war years, however, with their restrictions on construc- tions curtailed the immediate plans for the building, but research continued. Hundreds of blueprints and plans of libraries throughout this country and Europe were studied ond an effort was made to incorporate the best features of eoch into a building that would properly serve the students at Villonovo. This year we witnessed the result of this long ond careful preparation. Standing os it does in the northern section of the campus, it is the first building seen when we enter from the railroad station. Like the other new structures erected during the past years, it is of hand hewn granite in the Gothic design traditional at Villonovo. Inside, however, there is a happy union of the traditional with the func- tional. From the conveniently located catalogue located in the main hall and the five half-floors of book stacks, to the large high-ceilinged reading room, everything is made comfortable for the student eager to pursue further research and learning. Special rooms set up to house collections pertaining to Villonovo ond the Augustinian Order provide space for mony voluable exhibits. There ore olso other rooms set oside to house rare and interesting collections of books heretofore kept from public display because of spatial limitations. All these, coupled with the newly established music room with facilities for phonographic reproductions and television, and the flexible seminar rooms make the library a center of all campus activities. The Browsing Room it designed to provido students with o place to smoke without disturbing those in the more populated sections of the library. Here they may glance at random through a variety of interesting books dealing with all phases of culture, politics, literature, science, ond history. Miss Henrich, Assistant Librarian, co-ordinates all library activity. One of mony duties brings her to the reference desk in the refer- ence and reading room os she solves o student's inquiry. The left background reveals a section of the card catalogue in the main lobby.