University of Virginia Library

Revamping Alderman

Not so very long ago, the Virginia General
Assembly laid aside a lion's share of the $4.8
million that planners estimated would be
necessary to construct a new law school facility
on the Duke tract, northwest of the main
Grounds. Though hardly reputed for their
overwhelming generosity when it comes to
supporting higher education, the legislators
were prompted to allocate the funds when
University administrators stated flatly that the
present law school building—Clark Hall—was
desperately needed to house a new
undergraduate library.

That such a library is requisite, if the
University if to meet the demands of a growing
student population, no one denies. Of course,
the decision to locate the new law
school-graduate business complex away from
the Grounds stirred strong disagreement. Now,
with construction scheduled to begin next year,
that issue appears to be dead: the die is cast.
Without here exploring the pros and cons of an
off-Grounds law school, it is useful nevertheless
to consider the plan for an undergraduate
library as it relates to the disposition of Clark
hall.

Needless to say, once the state made
available the money for a new law-business
facility, the impetus behind the idea of
establishing an undergraduate library annex in
Clark Hall was strong—an almost forgone
conclusion among many. Until last week.
Alderman, including the present site of
Peabody Annex (and proceeding as far west as
practicable) should be reserved for future
library expansion.

He recommends that in or on this area
there be constructed an undergraduate library,
a rare book and manuscript library, and, in due
course, an addition to the west of Alderman
Library.

Mr. Metcalf adds: "If they can be cared
for immediately adjacent to Alderman, the
undergraduates will get better service. They will
avoid a large amount of duplication which
would be required if their library were placed as
far away from Alderman as Clark Hall. A
building planned for an undergraduate library
should be so planned that the staff could be
held to a minimum..."

The plan, which calls for the construction
of an undergraduate facility underground and
directly in front of Alderman Library,
recommends that architectural plans provide
for approximately 90,000 square feet in a.

Then came the report by Keyes D.
Metcalf, Harvard's librarian emeritus, who, it
was revealed, last week, told Provost David A.
Shannon that Clark Hall would be an
inadvisable location because of its distance
from Alderman Library and the prohibitive cost
of renovation and conversion. Mr. Metcalf, the
country's leading authority on library
management, had been called in as consultant
on expansion of existing library facilities. On
the surface, at least, his recommendations
appeared to sidetrack whatever planning had
been accomplished previously.

But early on his report, Mr. Metcalf
outlines a distinct alternative to the Clark Hall
proposal. A brief summary of the plan is as
follows:

According to the Metcalf plan, land
immediately to the south and west of
two-level structure with a central court.

Mr. Metcalf estimated that a facility of
this size would be large enough to
accommodate an undergraduate population of
about 6,000 providing space for the seating of
2,000 with service and shelf space for 160,000
volumes.

Finally, the report downgrades both
Clark Hall and Monroe Hall (the present
graduate business building) as places suitable
for rare books and manuscripts. Neither, the
report says, has the atmospheric conditions
necessary for the storage of such material.

The reaction to Mr. Metcalf's plan has
been mixed. Some administrators, it is believed,
feel that the report has undermined an idea
whose time has come. But a more accurate
appraisal is that Mr. Metcalf has rendered a
valuable service in farseeing the drawbacks of a
Clark Hall facility. With the law school already
planning its move to the country, it is essential
that administrators revalue their scenario for
the future of Clark hall in light of the Metcalf
Report.

For the nature and location of the
undergraduate library—no matter how pressing
a concern it may be—involves decisions not to
be made on the spur of the moment. Mr.
Metcalf's recommendations deserve full
consideration before any action in the matter
can be called responsible.