Columbia University Record, September 17, 1982, p. 3.
The Milbank Memorial Library at Teachers College, which houses the largest
collection of books and materials on education in the nation, will be dedicated
in ceremonies on Sept. 30. Vartan Gregorian, president of the New York Public
Library, will be the featured speaker.
The library is named for Dunlevy and Katharine Fowler Milbank and their son,
Thomas F. Milbank. Dunlevy Milbank was a trustee of Teachers College from
1913 to 1947. His son became a trustee in 1947 and served until his death
in 1975.
The dedication marks the completion of the second phase of a $7.7-million
project to completely renovate the library, formerly known as Teachers College
Library, and to expand it to fill all of Russell Hall. When complete, the
reconstruction will expand the library's capacity from 350,000 to 624,000
volumes.
The basement and ground floors were renovated in the first phase of the project,
which began in 1979, and the first and second floors and stack tower in the
second, which began in 1981. Work on floors three through five will begin
when funds become available, said Kenneth Toepfer, TC provost.
The new library is "an outstanding architectural accomplishment," Toepfer
said. Designed by architect John Young, the library's Collegiate Gothic character
is preserved by retaining the vaulted entrance hall, tall leaded windows
and extensive oak paneling that made it a model of library design when it
opened in 1924.
While retaining its architectural character, Milbank has the potential to
become one of the most technologically advanced libraries in the nation,
Toepfer said. Modern heat and humidity controls, needed to preserve the book
collection, have been installed, as have wiring ducts which allow easy
installation of computer terminals and other electronic equipment.
The most noticeable changes, Toepfer said, are the expansion of user space
and the relocation of service areas.