Bookless University "Libraries"

 

Weldon Library

   The picture above was captured from Western Libraries and it may not do justice to the extensive renovations underway in the Weldon Library. I don't think, however, that I will mischaracterize the project by saying that it has improved and enlarged the spaces available to students and reduced the areas where books used to be stored. 

  I will keep this short since I have raised this subject often, and repeatedly apologized for raising it again (see, for example, "Books & Libraries (Again)"). But, I just read an article and while doing so, thought of a question which can be phrased this way: "When alumni or the parents of potential students go on a campus tour, which type of facility would they find most impressive: a study area for students or a library filled with books?" Currently one would think that many would vote for the former, but the snippet that follows scores some points for the latter.

   After visiting the New York Antiquarian Book Fair, the author of the sentences below offers these observations:

"Curiosities aside, what makes the Fair so special is that it is about books. Books with covers and pages have, in a society dominated by social media and other sorts of online detritus, become functionally obsolete.  Perhaps the term “antiquarian,” which traditionally referred to old, valuable books, often first editions and manuscripts, now seems to me to apply to all books. Books, by definition, have become, if not antiquarian, antiquated in their material form. They have become artifacts.  Indeed, one could argue that even books that are not in themselves valuable, have begun to have acquired an “aura.” …. I suspect that in a generation or two, to walk into a home with bookshelves filled with books will be akin to walking into a home with original art on the walls. Both will be rare occurrences — even if the art is not by an old master or even if the books are not first editions or even classics. Their material presence on the shelves will provide aura enough."

Post Script:

   Years ago, even the old Business Library at Western University had a lot of books. It even had a collection of "GREAT BOOKS." While such a collection is now questioned and would even be prohibited by some, the rationale for having such books back then is outlined in the introduction to that collection which is provided here:

"Back before the "age of political correctness" and Allan Bloom, the Business Library was the recipient of a large donation of "classics". Apparently the books were purchased by Walter Thompson who is regarded by many as the "founder of management education in Canada". It was Professor Thompson's belief that students seeking a business education should also be exposed to great ideas and literature.

The "collection" actually consists of several hundred volumes that are kept in the Main Reference Room. The first 50+ volumes are part of the "Great Books of the Western World" series edited by Robert Maynard Hutchins (the call number for these volumes is AC1.M63A33). A great deal has been written about this project. See, for example, Robert M. Hutchins: Portrait of an Educator, by Mary Ann Dzuback and Unseasonable Truths: The Life of Robert Maynard Hutchins, by Harry S. Ashmore. The next 10 volumes were edited by Mortimer Adler in an attempt to "provide a way into the "Great Books..." These volumes are adjacent to the main collection under the call number AC1.G74.

Update: For additional historical context see the new book by Alex Beam: A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books. DBW E169.12.B333 2008

The rest of the collection consists of the distinctive Modern Library edition of the "World's Best Books". The authors range from Henry Adams (The Education of Henry Adams) to Alfred Zimmern (The Greek Commonwealth: Politics and Economics in Fifth Century Athens)....

   A new Business Library was constructed and it apparently contains some books. This  collection didn't make the cut, and given the current political milieu, that is not a bad thing.  The late Dean Thompson's notion that students should be exposed to "Great Books" now seems rather quaint. The books have been placed in storage where new students will not be harmed by them.

 The introduction to the "Great Books Collection" above is found in a newsletter produced by the staff in the old Business Library. That newsletter, The Bottom Feeder, no longer exists at Western and can only be found stored in the Internet Archive.

Sources: 

   The quotation about the "aura" of books is found here: "The Status of the Book in the Age of Digital Media: A Trip to the New York Antiquarian Book Fair," Paula Marantz Cohen, The Smart Set, June 27, 2022.  This The Smart Set" is not the one edited by Mencken. For more about it and him see: "Mencken on Politics."

The Bonus: 

  In some cases, university libraries with limited budgets and space are considering the sale of rare books and manuscripts. See: "Sacking of the Libraries: Alexander Larman Questions Whether Libraries Should Sell Historic Manuscripts to Solve Short-term Financial Problems," Alexander Larman, The Critic, Jan./Feb. 2021. The picture above is from that article.