The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-03-24
STETSON HALI-THE NEW LIB.
RARY BUILDING AT WILLIAMS
COLLEGE TO BE MONUMENTAL
STRUCTURE.

When Stetson Hall, the new lib
rary built at Williams College, Will
Jamestown, Mass, from funds be-
queathed to it by the late Francis
Lynde Stetson, is completed next au-
tumn, the institution will possess
structu that for its size and inn
pOrtance will be excelled by none at
any other college or university in the
country.
The crying need at Williams for
years has been a new and enlarged
library. With its over 100000 books
housed in several buildings, and stu
dents handicapped by close quarters
in library and seminar, the college
has felt severely the need of as
sistance. Francis Lynde Stetson of
New York, himself Williams gradu-
ate, was one of the greatest bene-
factors of the Berkshire college, and
for this reason, the new library will
be named for him.
The building is of colonial archi-
lecture, and is 100 feet long. Owing
to a sloping hillside on which the
library stands, the roof at the high
est point will be eight stories from
the ground. Every modern convent
ence and appliance will be installed
to make the library of the greatest
use and to further this purpose Will
liam N C Carlton, of the the fore
most Librarians of the country and
formerly of the Newberry Library in
Chicago has been appointed Librarian
with the rank of professor.
A feature of the building will be
the Chaplin Room which will be the
permanent home of the Alfred
Clarke Chaplin collection Of Ameri-
cana and Incunabula. This collec-
ton of rare books can hardly be
duplicated at the present time. The
room is one of the three two-story
rooms in the building, and will be
admirably appointed in oak and
bronze cases. together with a vault
for the protection of the most
valuable objects.
On the ground floor will be the
Hamilton Wright Mabie Room. read
ing room fitted out superbly in
marble and quartered oak. Alfred
Clarke Chaplin and Hamilton Wright
Mabie were lifelong friends of Mr.
Stetson as we'll as of Williams Col
lege, and it is particularly hitting
that the memories of the trio should
be thus perpetuated.
The stack room of the library will
contain seven floors Of steel stacks
with the possibility of two more
floors to be added Each floor will
be reached by stairway and electric
elevator. and six carrels on each Of
the floors will provide room for in
dividual study by students and mem
bers of the faculty. On the third
floor are eleven rooms suitable for
seminar work or for offices for pro-
fessors DESTROYS of getting students
together for group study. On the
top floor small studies for some of
the faculty have been constructed, in
order that research may be carried
on without fear of interruption.
Other features include the Will
liamsianna Room, the two story de-
livery room. the main reading room
at the north end of the building,
which will also be two stories in
height, new book room, work
rooms, offices for the librarian and
his assistant, and a room for the
curator of the Chaplin collection.
The stack room will take care of
220. 900 volumes and as the rear of
the building abuts on the slope of a
hill, there is space for indefinite ex-
pansion. The building contains 700,-
600 feet of space, and was designed
by Cram and Ferguson of Boston.