Talk:W. E. B. Du Bois Library

UMasswiki article
article at http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/W.E.B._DuBois_Library !! (containing partly contradictory information...) Please merge — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.1109.130.211 (talk) 06:27, 10 October 2006 (UTC)

Question
When was it built??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.192.199.31 (talk) 05:03, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Not in fact world's tallest library
Consensus seems to be that this is the tallest library in the US. However the Shanghai Library (built in 1995) appears to be taller at 106 metres = 347.7 feet to this library's 297. See the Shanghai Library's web site and its page on Emporis.

I have no idea of course if the Shanghai Library is in fact the world's tallest but it's certainly taller than the W. E. B. Du Bois.

 ∈ntroppie  10:26, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Closed Floors & Split Collection
I can affirm from experience that some floors were closed, though I do not remember it being anything close to half or that it was every other. When I first arrived at the University in 1984, the stacks were split between the Goodell library and what was then called the Tower library. To avoid being students being exposed to falling brick, the entrance to the Tower library had been relocated to the basement/LL level (which is now the learning commons) and one entered through doors that faced the pond. The lobby/E floor was completely closed. The elevators, however, were hard wired to stop at the E level and each trip up to the stacks the doors would open to a dark hallway and a saw horse with a sign stating the floor was closed.

I have no idea when this state of affairs began, but this was repaired as part of the "Mass Transformation" project in 1986. While this was best known for cleaning and painting on behalf of students, part of the project was that a roofed entryway was built leading to the original entrance on the E level allowing the lobby to be reopened and the basement/LL level restored to reference and card catalog. The remainder of the collection was moved to the Tower. This is when the "ugly" chainlink fence was built. It extended around the base of the tower not covered by the roofed entryway.

Unfortunately, other than the mention of mention of Mass Transformation on the University's webpage biography of Joseph Duffey, I can't find anything to source this. Edit: Found a source.

--Kathygnome (talk) 21:20, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

is the tallest library
There is a plaque in the library that says that it is 352 feet tall. It is taller than The Shanghai Library so please delete this. I also have also seen the plaque —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cymba84 (talk • contribs) 21:29, 30 December 2009 (UTC)


 * This article from the university itself would diagree. If you had proof, say a photo of the plaque, we could investigate further.  Astronaut (talk) 00:33, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

Falling bricks and spalling
I was a student at UMass, and earned a BS in Civil Engineering. While I was at the school, a profesror briefly discussed the tower library problem. It's been a while, but as I recall he said that there was a legal battle to establish who would pay for the repairs: the architect, the engineer, or the builder. I'm unaware of any legal ruling regarding blame, and assume that it was settled out of court. The professor said that the building design tied the brick facade into the library floors instead of into the walls. He was a professor and may have been postulating, but he would also have had access to any available information. The concrete floors bowed slightly under the weight of the books. This is normal and safe. As the centers of each floor bowed slightly down, the ends bowed slightly up. The brick facade was placed under pressure and began to spall. At some point, a solution was implemented that involved removing select courses of bricks and replacing them with a flexible sealant, visible as white lines in this link. Although the professor may have been perpetuating an urban legend, I was under the impression that he was telling us the truth as he knew it. TreacherousWays (talk) 16:46, 1 April 2011 (UTC)

View from high floors
Perhaps a minor geographical point, but while the upper floors are indeed a popular destination to obtain a good view of the campus and surrounding area, that view is of the Pioneer Valley (Connecticut River Valley), and definitely not of the Berkshire Mountains, which lie some 30+ miles to the west of campus. -colbyg74.179.228.84 (talk) 03:28, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Nslabczynski.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 12:34, 17 January 2022 (UTC)