Aging Books Will Be Put Online

The cracked floor, crumbling walls, and leaky, stained ceiling of the stacks at Columbia’s Health Science Library make visitors question why 140,000 books and journals are stored in a basement under 20 floors of scientific research wet-labs.

But the stacks that emanate the nostalgia-inducing smell of ancient library are meeting their demise as the Health Sciences library, situated at Columbia’s health graduate campus on the corner of 168th Street and Fort Washington Avenue, replaces old books and journals with electronic databases and new study spaces.

Many of the bound serials and books are being donated to a medical library in Tanzania, and others will make their way to a “recap” facility at Princeton, after four years of storage in Westchester. One might wonder: does the future of endlessly scrollable, laptop-accessible information mean the demise of the library experience as we know it?

“Everything dating up until 1922 will be available and preserved on-site in Special Collections,” said Alena Ptak-Danchak, director of library services. All books published before 1923 are in the public domain. “We are also keeping every book after 2004 and retaining books that are used frequently, regardless of the imprint date.”

While she explained that the biggest loss will be a lack of browse-ability, she also noted that many of the books have significant value.

“During the World Wars, lots of books were destroyed around the world,” Ptak-Danchak said. “We didn’t throw away anything. We’ve got books and journal articles in German, Russian, Chinese—many books that were destroyed in their home countries.”

The renovation, scheduled for completion in 2010, will create new group study rooms, classrooms, individual desks, couches, and other study spaces. It follows the renovation of the first floor lobby, completed two years ago, that created a new coffee shop, and an Internet-browsing lounge.

“They didn’t build libraries long ago to power laptops,” Ptak-Danchak explained. “The lights get so dim here the students can barely see. Students at this campus have limited space. They need a place to eat and sleep. The residents often sleep crowded on the library floor.”

“It’s a space thing,” agreed Sheila King, a library assistant at the Health Sciences Library for 30 years. “We’re going into the 21st century and space is at a premium especially here in New York City. But it’s a shame. And I’m not the only one who thinks this. I don’t think this collection, this history, can totally be recaptured electronically.”

Ashley Pandolfi can be reached at ashley.pandolfi@columbiaspectator.com.