By Debra Bradley Ruder

Gazette Staff

Widener Memorial Library, the heart of the largest university library in the world, will soon undergo major renovations to preserve its world-renowned collections and to enhance the environment for users and employees.

The project will upgrade the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in the venerable building, improve its wiring and fire detection equipment, and install sprinkler systems.

Harvard has commissioned a feasibility study to investigate possible approaches and cost estimates for this work, which will represent the most significant changes to Widener since it opened in 1915. The actual renovation is expected to begin in the summer of 1999.

The recommendation to move forward with planning for the project was made by Harvard's library officials and accepted by President Neil L. Rudenstine and Jeremy R. Knowles, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. It was recently approved by the Governing Boards.

"Among all Harvard's physical resources, Widener Library is perhaps the single greatest embodiment of the University's commitment to both the preservation of significant knowledge and the constant search for new ideas," said President Rudenstine.

"The time has come to bring Widener forward into a new era, and to ensure that the building itself and the collections it houses remain among the academic world's most valued and best-used treasures," he said.

Widener Library houses approximately 3.5 million volumes and about 50 miles of bookshelves. It is an invaluable scholarly and cultural resource that attracts faculty, students, and scholars from around the world.

At the age of 83, however, the building needs serious attention and major renovation. Air does not circulate well in the stacks, and there is no climate control. Temperature and humidity fluctuate widely with the seasons, accelerating the deterioration of the collections, especially those printed on high-acid-content paper.

Furthermore, the wiring, lighting, and fire protection systems of this capacious library need to be upgraded to meet the expectations and needs of the contemporary computer-intensive information world. At the same time, steps will be taken to ensure that the environment of Widener is protected from airborne pollutants such as vehicle exhaust, dirt, and pollens.

Moving Forward

Eleanor Elkins Widener had Widener Library built in memory of her son, Harry Elkins Widener '07, who died aboard the ill-fated Titanic. Mrs. Widener chose the architect, Horace Trumbauer of Philadelphia, and played a large role in the library's design, especially its classical exterior and enormous Corinthian columns.

Widener is one of 11 major libraries in the Harvard College Library and one of nearly 100 in the University Library system, which contains more than 13.5 million volumes and is the largest academic library in the world.

The renovation project is a priority of the final phase of the University Campaign, which seeks to raise $2.1 billion by the end of 1999. Given Widener's urgent needs, Harvard has decided to proceed with the project while fundraising efforts continue.

"We are extremely grateful that the University has given us an opportunity to keep the renovation process moving forward, and we are optimistic that we will continue to raise money for it," said Nancy M. Cline, the Roy E. Larsen Librarian of Harvard College.

"It is essential that we do as much as possible to protect the library's assets for decades to come," said Cline. "We are all committed to advancing this project in the most expeditious manner possible."

Sidney Verba is director of the University Library and Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor.

"It's going to be a massive undertaking," he predicted. "We are going to leave the books in the library, rather than remove them. We have no choice, because there is no place to store all the volumes, and because the books are so central to the functioning of the University. We're not sure how long the renovation will take; my guess would be up to two years."

Posing one of the largest challenges are the stacks, which form the structural core of the building and stand 10 tiers high. The stacks -- considered structurally innovative in their day -- hold up the building's floors and roof and are enveloped by the exterior walls.

"We must work around the stacks, as well as working within the restrictions of Mrs. Widener's gift," Professor Peter Bol of the Library Committee told the FAS Faculty recently. "During the course of the renovation, every one of the roughly 3.5 million volumes will have to be moved at least once. The challenge will be to assure that the library remains open and that the collection remains accessible."

Protecting the Collections

Preliminary planning for the project began in 1996, when the Harvard College Library commissioned a study on the conservation and preservation of Widener's collections. The resulting report indicated that controlling the temperature and humidity in the stacks could more than double the life of the collections.

Last year, the FAS took the next step by hiring Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, an architectural, engineering, and interior design firm with offices in Boston and elsewhere, to conduct a nine-month "environmental control feasibility study" of the Widener stacks.

Planning for the project will involve two teams, the Widener Stacks Planning Committee, chaired by Cline, and the Widener Stacks Building Committee, chaired by David Zewinski, associate dean for physical resources and planning in the FAS.

According to preliminary estimates, introducing climate control, new wiring, and a new fire protection system will likely cost at least $20 million. The work can be conducted with minimal impact on the architectural fabric of the building and on the public spaces inside, noted consultants Einhorn Yaffee Prescott.

After its overhaul, Widener will be better equipped to serve Harvard in the 21st century.

President Rudenstine, reflecting on the importance of maintaining Widener and other libraries, has said that Harvard "simply would not be the university that it is today if not for the incomparable strength of its Library.

"Yet," he added, "this great resource needs constant attention and care."