Last but not least...

Hmm, well I've tried but just couldn't quite recreate some of the spectacular imagery Justin Kern came up with (included in this previous blog entry). The Collegiate Gothic style was in abundance, however with cloisters, gargoyles and arches everywhere. Ivy sprouts out from most of the older buildings and fireflies can even be spotted dotting in and out of the vegetation at night, adding to the "Chicagwarts" effect.

Ivy-clad colleges (based on Oxford University) at the University of Chicago

An Alumni event happening at the University of Chicago last weekend

The University of Chicago is a private research institution which has a whopping $6 billion (£4 billion) in endowment funding (money donated to the University) putting it right up there with the elite of US academic institutions. The most recent addition to UC's impressive campus is the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library which is well-known for holding all of its stock, some 2.5 million volumes, underground in a massive ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System). This caused controversy amongst those who prefer to see books but it should be noted that the University has taken great care to only include materials which do not lend themselves to browsing, such as bound journal volumes and special materials which need to be safety housed. The adjoining Regenstein Library also houses 4.5 million volumes, the vast majority of which are on open shelves. An extensive project to move over half a million item from a rolling storage facility in the basement of the Regenstein to the 12-aisle-wide ASRS at Mansueto was taking place while I was there and (as at GVSU) complimentary earplugs were available from helpdesks to help cope with the noise during a busy exam period! (UC students study on a quarterly system, unlike at the previous Universities I had visited, so most students were still around here). 

The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library's Grand Reading Room

The Mansueto Library's above ground space 

 also houses a hi-tech preservation facility

The Law Library at the University of Chicago -
Barack Obama was a Law Lectuer here until 2004.

Another area of the research I've been doing out here in America revolves around fines and invoicing. It's been interesting to note that none of the academic institutions which I have visited charge any fines on regular loan materials which are not on hold. In the University of Chicago's case this has long been engrained into the library's procedures, the main reason being that it helps to foster good relations between the department and their students, especially given that those not on merit- or means-tested places are paying around $43,000 (or £28,000) to attend.

It is a common theme in Universities in the US elsewhere too, with fines often having been dropped due to the administrative costs involved or to create good PR for the service (as at the University of Wisconsin) and to reduce barriers restricting student engagement (Grand Valley State University cited this). It is a trend which has not taken off in the UK so far (I am only aware of a handful of  institutions - including the University of Southampton and the University of East London - which have done this) so it will be interesting to see whether libraries back home start to follow suit in the next few years as many have done in operating longer opening hours and more liberal practices in managing the learning environment. It is worth noing too that higher tuition fees will be levied on Higher Education students in the UK from the next academic year and these will generally not actually be too far off the $43,000 being paid by University of Chicago students. 

After two days spent on the campus, I walked back along the South Shore Line to the Big Onion (said to be the inspiration for Gotham City, by the by) watching the skyline shine as the sun set over the City. Yesterday I spent much of my time at the famous Art Institute of Chicago, which was followed by some (equally famous) Chicago Deep Crust Pizza! I fly home today but will blog on about the time I've spent here when I get back. I'll be sure to get around to tackling CPD23 Thing 6 too.

Marc Chagall's America Windows at the Art Institute of Chicago
(as seen in the 1986 teen movie Ferris Beuller's Day Off)

Taken on the walk from the South Shore Line
up to Navy Pier on the North side

Whirlwind tour...

I've now had my first taste of libraries in the American Midwest. I've also tried something called a "Javalanche", some "Crack Fries" and Founders "Double Trouble" IPA!

It has been impressive to see that even this relatively small town (which was essentially mere corn fields until around 150 years ago) has put so much into its libraries. The main public library of the eight branch Grand Rapids Public Libaries (GVPL) system is a grand building. Dating back to 1904, it took the Victoria and Albert Museum as its inspiration, with a small entrance opening out into a vast, ornate foyer for added "wow" factor. This is flanked by dual marble staircases, leading up to elegant reading rooms (pictured): 

The Main Library (one of eight public library branches in Grand Rapids)

owes some of its architecture to the Victoria & Albert Museum (below)

(Photo by Lara300 on Photobucket)

One of GRPL's reading rooms, complete with working fireplace

I had the privilege of a behind the scenes tour, where I found yet more art and sculpture (it's becoming something of a recurring theme). I was also shown around the library's furniture archive, with volumes in both English and French interspersed here with examples of the furniture itself, more of which are dotted around the building. Furniture is a big industry in Grand Rapids and has played a massive part in the growth of the town. Philanthropy is also a huge deal in the States, with almost every building having the name of some wealthy benefactor or other in front of it. 

The building was renovated in 2001 when it also had a new extension added to it. This is a bright and modern part of the building but a great deal of work has gone into ensuring this is in keeping with the rest of the building. The new area hosts some great ideas, including Book Discussion Kits, a Small Business Resources Center and a book display in the shape of a fire truck. Kids are encouraged to create their own displays too:

Toy Story display put together by children who visited the library



The new part of the buiding houses some interesting and funky artwork



Book Discussion Kits: several copies of the book can be borrwed at once.
These are stored in rucksacks which include notes all about the books..

Many of the donors who have supported libraries in Grand Rapids are related to the Steelcase company in some way. Steelcase is the seventh largest company in Grand Rapids and also sponsors the main University library at the Pew Campus, located downtown. In the year 2000, this was only the 3rd library in the USA to install an Automated Retrieval System (ARS).. which soon became an Automated Storage Retrieval System (ASRS) due to the slight acronym issue, although library staff simply call it SPOT, after the dog ("because it fetches things"). I was lucky enough to see the innards of the system which rather cleverly will retrieve a crate based upon the barcode of any requested book. The book can then be removed from the crate, borrowed and then allocated to any one of several hundred crates when it returns. 250,000 items are stored in this way at the Steelcase:

Inside the ASRS: A robot selects and retrieves crates

The Steelcase Library's main reading room includes more smart furniture

 

Eiona Van Gent's "Cabinet of Wonder" sits at
the very end of the Steelcase reading room

My trip has been mainly work-based so far but I did get a couple of hours to look around downtown Grand Rapids yesterday evening. My impression is of a town which is very much developing all the time. It centres around the Grand River (shown here) with a growing range of art and cultural centres on its banks, as well as historical buildings like the Gerald Ford Museum where the ex-President and his wife are buried.

Overlooking the Grand River in Downtown Grand Rapids