Water-Witches, 'Dutchess Hotspur' Keep Widener Executives Guessing

Of the endless variety of questions that might be asked about the world's largest university library, Foster M. Palmer, in charge of the reference desk at Widener Library, gets his share.

There was the otherwise normal upperclassman who approached Palmer one morning to request aid in composing an overdue poem. There was the outsider who, after announcing his peculiar powers of water-witching, inquired if Widener might have some books on the subject.

700 Books Checked Out Per Day

"And there are always people who ask about "Dutchess Hotspur." "That," says Palmer, "is not my department."

Philip H. Dolan '35, who, unlike the typical university library executive, wears neither spectacles nor gray suits, is in charge of the Widener circulation desk. On an average day, he said, over 700 books are checked out. Offsetting this outtake are the new volumes that are added to the stacks--over 500 per week, usually. Another 500 literary items, including original manuscripts, are acquired each week.

Library Still Has Room

Although some 41,000 new items were added to the library during the last fiscal year, experts see no danger of crowding. The library, probably because of its Grand Central Station-like construction, still has ample room for its 175 employees, ranging from the head librarian to the blonde in the archives, and for a steady stream of scholars.