$450,000 Music Library To Rise by Fall of 1956

A $450,000, two-story library will be added to the Music Building by the fall of 1956, Randall Thompson '20, Rosen Professor of Music, and Chairman off the Music Department, announced yesterday.

The structure will house the approximately 35,000 volumes in the department's book, music and record collections now scattered about the University.

Construction is expected to began early this fall at the north end of the present building, from where the library will include three floors of underground stack space.

A reading room, three listening rooms, and workrooms will be on the first floor, with offices, seminar rooms, and a reading room for advanced work on the second floor. The main reading room will be named for Richard Aldrich '84, whose extensive music collection was presented to the University last year by his family.

The building's exterior (see picture) will be in the same red-brick Georgian style as the north facade of the existing structure.

Original funds for the library of $200,000 were offered two years ago by the trustees of the Eda K. Loeb Estate of New York. The present Music Building was made possible by a gift from Mrs. Loeb's brother-in-law, James Loeb '88.

Equipment Funds Needed

Almost all of the remaining $250,000 has been raised. Thompson said yesterday. Only $25,000 is still needed, for record players and other equipment. The record collection and listening rooms will be coordinated with those in the present building, he added.

The new library will provide a central location for books now stored in Widener, Lamont, Holden Chapel, and in halls, classrooms and offices of the Music Building. Only the Isham Collection of organ music will remain in its present Memorial Church location.

Unification will allow, as well, the clearing of about 30,000 spaces in Widener. "This fits in with our overall policy of decentralizing collections," D. W. Bryant, administrative assistant librarian, said yesterday.