Yale Considers Plans to Construct Special Library for Undergraduates

The Yale University Council will soon consider plans for an undergraduate library modeled after Harvard's Lamont, James T. Babb, University Librarian, stated Thursday.

Librarians are now working on a report which will recommend the construction of a building at High and Wall Streets, across from Sterling Memorial Libary, to house books specifically for College courses and to provide study space for undergraduates, he said.

"Although a building to house administrative offices has already been proposed for this location, we hope to receive priority for our project because of the spot's proximity to Sterling," Babb stated. This particular location is important because the new college library would probably differ from Lamont by working more closely with the University library, according to John H. Ottemiller, Associate Librarian at Yale.

The possibility of the new library's being located at High and Wall Streets received a boost this week when C. H. Sanford, Yale Business Manager, indicated that one of the New Haven high schools bought by Yale may be used to alleviate administration building space.

"We are much concerned with the fact that our present facilities don't take care of undergraduate needs," Ottemiller said yesterday. The Associate Librarian has directed the report's preparation which has included the study of phases of Lamont's operation which Yale hopes to duplicate. A former Brown University Librarian, Ottemiller worked on Harvard's Lamont project as it was being planned.

The report will recommend a collection of books and a catalogue independent of the University library similar to Lamont's, Ottemiller said. Yale would also like to have individual reading booths resembling Lamont's, he indicated. "We want plenty of well-lighted reading space so undergraduates can study in peace away from the colleges," he said.

"Although our ideal goal is one copy of required books for each student who must do the reading, unless we get extra money we'll use a reserve books system similar to Lamont's," Ottemiller stated. He said that while he was at Brown that school's library had successfully used the "one book per man" plan until the Second World War put an end to the project.

Ottemiller said the suggested library would be about the same size as Lamont, which has about 100,000 books and 39,000 titles.