YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

24 September 1963

To: Messrs. Babb and Ottemiller

From: H. Liebert

We are now sufficiently moved into the Deinecke building so that it is possible to make a list of the things that are not satisfactory. Some of these simply remain undone and will presumably be done in due course; this memorandum will serve as a checklist of these. Some are things already installed that are not satisfactory; these should be altered, and this memo will also serve as a checklist of these. Some cannot be altered, and are listed here as a matter of record.

This list does not claim to be exhaustive; there are certainly other items that we will encounter in further experience with the building. I will keep a copy of this memorandum and add such items to it, and submit a revised version prior to our acceptance of the building on 11 October.

Exterior

1. The glass in the first frame at the north-east corner is cracked and should be replaced.

2. There has been difficulty in operating the mechanisms of the bronze revolving door; this should be checked for satisfactory operation.

3. Outside the north and south emergency periphery doors there is a small unroofed vestibule with an unsecured granite door to the plaza. These will be nuisance area in a variety of ways, and the area should be roofed and the granite door secured from the outside so that it is, like the inner periphery door, an emergency exit from inside only.

Exhibition Areas (ground and mezzanine floors)

4. The lettering on the bronze door is crooked and should be aligned.

5. A case for the display of library materials for sale is to be provided at the receptionist's desk.

6. The lighting in the long flat exhibition cases north and south of the tower on the ground floor produces marked shadows in the cases, and should be adjusted to eliminate shadows.

7. There is much distracting reflection from the glass in the curved exhibition cases, even with the lights on.

8. The doors on the curved cases are very difficult to work; some kind of handle (perhaps suction cup) should be provided to open and close these doors, which will have to be opened to get material for readers.

9. The Gutenberg case will have to be fixed to lower the level of the base on which the books will rest.

10. Some provision was requested for display of the card naming the

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donor of the Gutenberg and also the printed statement about it, of which
a sample was furnished to SOM. It is not clear how these are to be
displayed in the present case.

11. If the Audubon folios are to lie flat in the case, it will be very
difficult to see the upper half of the page; some provision should be
made for propping up at least the volume that is to be opened.

12. The small exhibition cases are presently giving a temperature
reading of over 80 while the lights are on, and since the fan goes off
when the lights are turned off, this heat persists. The fan should be
made independent of the lights; the coolest source of light should be
provided; and it should be made certain that as much filtering of light
as possible is provided between the bulbs and the books.

13. Although the small cases lock on three sides and are solid at the back, the top can be raised by hand and finger-holes are provided to make this easier. The top must lock.

14. The glass at the end of one of the small exhibition cases is cracked and should be replaced.

15. The rail holding books on the platform when it is raised is very low and may cause some strain on bindings of large books exhibited at an angle; consideration should be given to increasing the height of this rail.

## Glass Exhibition Tower

16. At present it is necessary to turn off over 200 individual switches to control the tower and exterior lights. At the minimum, one switch per floor should be provided.

17. The handles on the small bronze doors into the tower at ground and exhibition levels are too small for the heavy doors; knobs should be provided.

18. Above the first floor, the top shelf of the stacks in the outside ring has a black top fitted against the ceiling, but this is omitted on the ground floor, which is our most visible area. It would look better to have the top there too.

19. A great deal of dust is entering the ground floor stack north of the sliding bronze door through the opening provided to clear the lettering. Some better closure of this opening should be provided.

20. On the west side of the tower at the exhibition level, the bronze door from the mezzanine and the north door into the inside ring of the stacks collide when opened. These should be door-stopped.

## Court Level

21. The plain glass between the bottom step and the lower door is a hazard; several people have tried to walk through it. A rail or some other sign that it is not an entrance to the lobby should be provided.

22. The absence of picture mouldings except on one side of the lobby and corridors is deplored.

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23. In the reading room, seat numbers should be provided for readers' seats.

24. In the reading room, the lectern tables have too low a ridge to hold a large book, and are very noisy in operation.

25. In the reading room, the table lecterns provided have too low a rail to hold a large book, and allow only 2 positions. The sample provided SOM called for a rail 2 1/4 inches high and 5 positions.

26. Additional furniture and equipment are needed in the microfilm and typing rooms.

27. Additional furniture is needed in the catalogue room.

28. The brackets for the bookshelves in the offices and conference rooms are inadequate; stronger brackets are required. Added shelves.

29. Shelving and tables are required in the work-space.

30. An electric outlet in the floor (not at baseboard) is required in curators' offices for office equipment on desks.

31. Only 2 electric outlets are provided in each of the secretaries' bays; a minimum of 5 is required.

32. Numbers are required on the doors of the offices.

33. The panelboard in the assistant librarian's office is not completed and he cannot occupy the space until it is.

34. Several office occupants have complained that it is possible only to have all 12 lights on or off. I have had two switches installed in my office and others may prefer this. I understand that lamps will also be provided.

35. At least one curator has observed that conversation in the adjoining office is audible in his office. All offices should be checked for sound transmission.

36. Desk accessories are needed in all offices.

37. The fact that the office blinds are vertical instead of horizontal is deplored.

38. A lock is required on the small elevator door at court level.

39. The tile in the tunnel has a number of waves in it; this jostles book carts and has shaken some books off trucks.

40. A table or other flat working space is needed in the kitchen.

41. All the kitchen and dining-room equipment is to come.

42. There is no provision in the coatroom for wet umbrellas, overshoes, etc. This should be provided in the space next to the telephone.

43. Lockers for the staff are to come in the area between the tunnel

and the work-space.

44. A large cabinet for supplies should be provided in the work space.

45. A sofa for the librarian's office would be desirable.

46. A curtain for that office is to come.

47. A cot, curtain, and perhaps other items are required for the ladies' room. A chair for in front of the mirror and ledge has been suggested. The female staff of the building should be consulted.

Basement Level (1 & 3 tier stacks)

48. Leaks.

49. Replaster and paint cracks in stack walls.

50. Closure of space to Law School (is locked door only to be used?)

51. By present arrangement of light switches, lights in 3-tier stacks can be turned on only from 1-tier area. Each level of 3-tier area should have own switch.

52. ~~In the middle tier of the 3-tier stack, structural members reduce headroom to exactly 6 feet in one considerable area. Can some alternative method of support (steel ?) be devised to allow adequate headroom?~~

53. 23 and 22 inch aisles in some parts of 3-tier stack and 26 inch aisles in folio part of 1 tier stacks are inadequate.

54. It is not possible to open the drawers of the map cases fully in the 3 tier stacks, and not possible to open the drawers of the file cabinets fully while standing in front of them.

Mechanical Space

55. There is a broken step in the steel stair just west of the engineer's office.

56. Several places in the air-conditioning machinery need to be repainted.

57. There should be a telephone in the engineer's office.

Equipment

58. Among the equipment items still to come and not mentioned above are: bookends; sign holders; coathangers. Call slip boxes are yet to be approved; present mockup will not serve.

59. Cigarette urns for outside main entrance are to be submitted.

General

60. We have tested the air-conditioning and humidity equipment only during a season when conditions outside have roughly approximated the

desired 70 degrees temperature and 50 degrees humidity. The ability of the machinery to maintain these goals during extremes of heat or cold outside the building, and the question of whether there will be any condensation inside the building or inside the glass tower or court walls remains to be tested. The building should not be accepted without the distinct understanding that the temperature-humidity system must be tested through a whole annual cycle.

61. Considerable noise has been noticed from time to time ( not regularly) from the air-conditioning vents in stacks and offices.

62. The sharp corners on the rails in the exhibition, lobby, and stack stairs have been questioned with respect to their safety.

Addenda

63. It is now necessary to throw 24 individual switches to operate the ceiling lights in the reading room. One switch is required.

64. Several curators have expressed the wish that their offices have individual locks, all on the inside master of course, but not all on the same key with other offices as at present.

65. Rubber runners for the protection of the carpet in wet weather have been suggested.

66. It is impossible to drink from the drinking fountain without dripping on the carpet. A rubber mat to protect the carpet is suggested.

67. Tables to hold the intercommunicators in the secretaries' bays are needed.

68. Card-sorting cart and light table are to come for the work room.

69. There should be a pencil-sharpener in the catalogue room and in the reading room. It is presumed that other sharpeners will accompany desk accessories for the offices, secretaries' bays, and work space.

70. Telephones should be installed in all 3 tiers of the 3 tier space and in the 1 tier space near the elevator.