As most librarians know, college libraries have been on the endangered species list for some time. Over the last two decades, college libraries have downsized, relocated, or — gasp — entirely eliminated their books as they shifted to digital resources or repurposed the space. Which begs the question: if a library does not have any books, is it still a library? But we digress. In the article “The Disappearance of Books Threatens to Erode Fine Arts Libraries,” journalist Sarah Bond discusses this disturbing trend: “Across the country, many university libraries are engaged in a book purge. This has meant reassessing the use of library spaces and consolidating book holdings in a bid to attract more visitors. In states like Missouri and Kansas, libraries have begun to spend more and more of their annual budgets on digital subscriptions and spaces for people, rather than on the acquisition of physical books. As in Austin and Madison, such shifts have often been met with resistance. At Syracuse University in New York, there was a faculty uproar over the proposed movement of books to a far-away warehouse. The struggle ultimately resulted in the university building a 20,000-square-foot storage facility nearby for over 1 million books — guaranteeing next-business-day delivery.”
Twenty years ago, book stores also thrived. Consumers took them for granted. And then, before you knew it, they disappeared — one by one. That is why Town & Country’s recent feature, “22 of America’s Most Beautiful College Libraries,” is a reminder to appreciate their significance of what they contain as well as their stunning architecture. If you have an opportunity, visit them while they are still around. Here is the list of the 22 most beautiful college libraries in America:
Bapst Art Library at Boston College
Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington
Widener Library at Harvard University
Uris Library at Cornell University
Frederick Ferris Thompson Memorial Library at Vassar College
Riggs Library at Georgetown University
Washington University Law Library
Hoose Philosophy Library at the University of Southern California
Harper Memorial Library at the University of Chicago
George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University
Fisher Fine Arts Library at the University of Pennsylvania
Cook Legal Research Library at the University of Michigan
Butler Library at Columbia University
Beinecke Rare Book And Manuscript Library at Yale
Anne Bremer Memorial Library at San Francisco Art Institute
Mclure Education Library at the University of Alabama
Joe And Rika Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago
Firestone Library at Princeton University
Geisel Library at the University of California, San Diego
Albert And Shirley Small Special Collections Library at University of Virginia
William R. Perkins Library at Duke University
Powell Library at UCLA
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For further reading: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/news/g3006/most-beautiful-college-libraries/
https://hyperallergic.com/433583/fine-arts-libraries-books-disappearing/
