Contemporary Building Planning as It Appears to a European Librarian

I T IS BY NOW a platitude to hold that any building should be "functional;" a library should be and should even resemble a library. Thus, the eyes and mind should be satisfied, and the library should be the efficient tool the patron as well as the librarian desires. During the planning and building stage architects, engineers, members of the building committee, librarians and readers seem to agree on the surface at least. As soon, however, as the last soiled copies of the crumpled program leaflets of the dedication ceremonies have been picked up on the trampled lawns surrounding the new building, criticism develops. Everyone, except those who are directly responsible for the planning and construction of the building, finds fault with it. Few happen to know its inside story, the why's and wherefore's of some peculiar features, and in general the specific data of the complex problem which had to be solved. It was not lightheartedly nor without a certain apprehensive hesitation that I tackled the problem of dealing with the American college and university building in this paper. Too many important "local" facts and data probably have escaped my attention or may have been obscured by con. siderations which are beside the point. Much of the criticism that has been leveled at specific buildings fails to take into account the local conditions, habits and tra-