The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-06-24
WIDENER LIBRARY
is DEDICATED
Great Building at Harvard Is Gift Of Mrs.
Eleanor Elkins Widener of Phil
adelphia in Memory of Her
Cor

adelphia in Memory of Her
Son.
Cambridge, Mass, June 24.-The Wild
ener Memorial library, ranking thir'
among the libraries of this country il
the number of volumes which it will &C
commodate, was dedicated with ssimpl
exercises at Harvard university to-day
The address of presentation was made
by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and thu
library was accepted on behalf of thu
university by President A. Lawrence
Lowell.
The monumental structure is the gii'
of Mrs. Eleanor Elkins Widener of Phil.
adelphia, in memory of Der son, Harry
Elkins Widener, a member of the Har-
the Titanic disaster. Specifically intend
ed to house the rare collection of books
bequeathed to the university by Mr.. Wild
ener, the building was planned on a
scale to care for the entire Harvard Ii
brary, with allowance for great enlarge
ment in the number of books. The ca
pacity of 100000 volumes, with pro.
vision for extension to hold 100000,
is exceeded in this country only by the
New York public library and the con-
gressional library.
The building, standing within the col
Iege yard near Massachusetts avenue, Is
on the site of the old Gore hall, the
former library building, which was torn
down. In style and material it harmo-
nzes with the Colonial halls in its inn
| mediate vicinity. The exterior is of
brick and limestone, with long, square
headed windows, Romanesque arches and
Corinthian columns. The outside meas
urements are $50 by 200 feet. Within
the hollow square of the structure is
courtyard 10 by 100 feet. The principal
entrance, on the north side, is by 30
granite steps, through a portico formed
by II limestone Corinthian columns. The
three high doors are of glass and wrought
iron.
The marble colonnade Of the en-
trance hall and a broad marble staircase
lead directly to the central section, where
the Widener collection is located. With
in the vestibule are two simI c memorial
tablets, and in the entrance hall is a
tablet placed by the class of 1907 and
bearing the following inscription:
HARRY ELKINs W1DENER
A. b. 1907
LOVED THE BOOKS
WHICH HE HAD COLLECTED
AND THE COLLEGE
TO WHICH HE BEQUEATHED THEM
"HE LABORED
NOT FOR HIMSELF ONLY |
BUT FOR ALL THOSE
WHO SEEK LEARNING"
This Memorial
Has Been Placed Here by His Classmates
The memorial section consists of two
rooms. On the south wall of the inner
room, which will house the Widener col
lection, over a marble-framed fireplace,
is the portrait of Mr.. Widener. by Fer
rier, the Paris artist The bookcases in
this room have plate glass shelves and
bronze sashes. The outer room includes
the Office of the special librarian of the
George p. Winship. who served
for 20 years as librarian of the John
Carter Brown library at Brown univer-
sity.
On the first floor are the offices of
William c. Lane. the college librarian,
ind Professor Archibald 4. Coot dye, d.
rector of the university library; the
treasure room" equipped with metal
bookcases, and room for the library
ouncil. The stairways at the sides lead
o the readngroom, % feet long, with L
oft.toned glass skylights; the card cat
logue and delivery room and the period q
cal room. The book stacks extend G
through eight low-studded stories. and I
pace has been reserved in the basement q
or two more floors of stacks for flu e
ure needs. On the third floor are rooms i
or special collections and departmental G
Ibraries, photograph room and map g
Dom. Seventy studies for professors and n
90 reading stalls for research students
re placed close to the stacks. Ii
The Widener collection contains about L
900 volumes. All of these are rare Ic
ooks. gathered by Mr.. Widener through 10
irelcss search OF this country and Eu- N
ope. Among them are Shakespeare 4
rst folio, famous CaNton. the English n
ible of 1850 and a first edition of Bur T
ms Anatomy There are also many In,
rst editions OF famous American writ i
rs. each autographed by the author. n
The task OF moving the books of the a,
award library from the buildings where Z,
iey have been temporarily housed n,
gins to-day. II Is estimated that more =
ian six months will be required to com :,
etc the moving and arrangement OF the -
llumes. The library, however. will be :,
'ady for working use when the college !,
nm opens on Sept. q, and during the -
INNER most Of the rooms will be open ~
the public. ',
IrAITAN rIUEr At crnAfrc L..