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sovay...
CCL has reopened. It has now been renamed for a wealthy donor (Edward Bass): we will see whether that name suffers the fate of Old I at Williams. In any case, it is attractive, vaguely medieval and vaguely Georgian, and be-bricked. It has staircases that go in intelligent and interesting directions, and the elevator can actually be found without a library science degree. There are vast areas of study space; there is a cafe.*
But there is no more space for books than there used to be: indeed, if the ramp between the libraries is any indication, all the brick facade is just that, and the area of the library has actually shrunk somewhat; and Mountaineering has been moved to the much-abused L&B room. And I see no reason to to believe their assurances that the roof will not leak this time.
The whole project, in short, typifies most Yale thinking since the JGR era. It is designed to be grandiose, attractive, and to further the Glory That Is Yale. In the process, it is occasionally brilliant, but just as frequently mind-bogglingly dumb.
* Why does Administration always think that the students need more study space and cafes? I have never known the reference room where I am sitting to be COMPLETELY full, L&B is scarcely ever used, all the colleges have study rooms, and there are at least four coffee shops around campus even if you're boycotting Starbucks and the Yale bookstore.
sovay...CCL has reopened. It has now been renamed for a wealthy donor (Edward Bass): we will see whether that name suffers the fate of Old I at Williams. In any case, it is attractive, vaguely medieval and vaguely Georgian, and be-bricked. It has staircases that go in intelligent and interesting directions, and the elevator can actually be found without a library science degree. There are vast areas of study space; there is a cafe.*
But there is no more space for books than there used to be: indeed, if the ramp between the libraries is any indication, all the brick facade is just that, and the area of the library has actually shrunk somewhat; and Mountaineering has been moved to the much-abused L&B room. And I see no reason to to believe their assurances that the roof will not leak this time.
The whole project, in short, typifies most Yale thinking since the JGR era. It is designed to be grandiose, attractive, and to further the Glory That Is Yale. In the process, it is occasionally brilliant, but just as frequently mind-bogglingly dumb.
* Why does Administration always think that the students need more study space and cafes? I have never known the reference room where I am sitting to be COMPLETELY full, L&B is scarcely ever used, all the colleges have study rooms, and there are at least four coffee shops around campus even if you're boycotting Starbucks and the Yale bookstore.
