Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-03-03

now In its perfection agree that the
wait was well worth while.
Electric elevators are provided, but
few use them, for the marble stars
( have an easy incline. Each flight
gives access TO long lines Of marble
| corridors The floors and waits are
Of marble beautifully polished. The
ceilings give the only touch Of color.
there are hand painted plaster in
neutral tints ilumed in metallic
bronze luster Standing in the marble
corridor OF the loggig, one looks
through three marble arches into the
rotunda and across the rotunda to
l'fth avenue through large glass
windows set in frame of ornamental
bronze.
The New York library is IN the
shape of the letter T.. The back Of
the Il gives the long corridors ON all
floors, the arms of the y are the
marble halls aolng Fortieth and For
ty-second streets. In the tongue Of
the Il is the exhibition room on the
first floor, the oriental department
and special study roo man dthe elec-
tric book lift on the second floor
and ON the third floor the public
catalogue room. This last leads into
the main reading room, which stands
directly above the--Eigantic stacks,
which occupy three floors; namely.
the basement the first and second
floors.
The public catalogue room contains
5000 boxes Of card catalogues, fitted
in shelf drawers on three S dcs of the
room. As a provision for future addi-
tions, there is a gallery above, pro-
tected by an ornate bronze railing.
The method by which this great H.
brary should handle the crowds OF
readers was for years the subject Of
careful consideration on the part Of
the most skIful librarians in the
world. II is believed that the plan
adopted approaches the maximum of
speed and facility.
The reader enters the catalogue
room and because Of its simplicity Of
arrangement has little difficulty in
finding the book he desires. lie makes
out slip and gives it to one of the
attendants in charge and then passes
into the main reading room. HIS slip
is sent by pneumatic tube into the
service bureau OF the reading room
from which it is forwarded quickly to
the stack. The book is found in
few minutes If it is in the building
nd N
electric annunciator in the main road F.
ing room announces the number Of
the book and the reader goes to the
huge screen that separates the de, |
livery department from the reading
room and receives his book.
This nam reading room is one OF I
the largest in the world and is mag |
nificent in every way. 1t is 295 feet
long by seVenty-five feet wide and the .
ceilings are fifty feet high. These are |
decorated with the same lustrous
hand decoration of the marble corri- .
dors, but their design gives the effect
Of sun, sky, and clouds on a June day.
The furnishings are oak and the floor
IS covered with compressed cork tiles.
The entire Boston library could be
placed inside of this one room. The
high arched windows look out on
8ryant park, and their height prevent
he possibility of any obstruction of Il
ight. The screen behind the delivery
1esk is eighty-five feet long. This
'oom contains forty eight tables ar
'anged to provide three square feet
If space for each reader.
The stack rooms of this wonderful |
library are the greatest ever built for
my library in the world. They viii 1
house three million books. There are
ninety miles of shelves. The stack
ooms have $4,000 electric lights and
he windows provide light and venti-
alton, for the old theory that sun
light and fresh air are bad for books
S just as erroneous as that they are
'ad for human beings.
The circulating department of this
lbrary is in the basement 1t is open
very day from o'clock in the morn
ng until 10 at night. There are over
fifty thousand books in the circulat.
ne department of the main library
esides the branches connected with
/. Near this is a newspaper room
With papers printed in several Lam
uages. A special income Of $4,000
is provided for the subscrip.
ions of the papers in this room.
The children's library also adioins
he circulation room. 1t is furnished
1 old Flemish oak with low broad
'indow seats, inviting the little folks
, cuddle down for a quiet hour. over
90 children can be comfortably gath
red in this room at one time. and |
ach week sees eager crowds of little |
)lks listening to the story teller who |
employed by the library to fami-
arize them With the best literature. |
On the second floor is a wonderful II L
Iectric book lift which is the admira-
on of all who see II. This is in the
enter of the building. Around ii are
pecial studios on different subjects.
lie privileges of which are open to II
udents I'm specific lines of learning.
here is an oriental department con-
lining rooms devoted to Egyptian, II
static and Hebrew lore This library
lcludes one Of the best collections of II
emitic literature In the world.
On the second floor also is the pub
c document department This has III