"I think in general donors prefer to give to something that they can see or feel or enjoy," Knowles said. Libraries, he said, do not give people that pleasure.

Director of the Harvard Library System and Pforzheimer University Professor Sidney Verba '53 explained it by saying, "The library is everybody's second favorite part of the University."

The largest undertaking is the renovation of Widener--pegged at $52 million. The library will be equipped with climate control technology, new electrical wiring, news carrels and two reading rooms located at the center of the building.

This summer the University replaced the tables in the Lamont Library reading room on the main floor and redesigned the room to make it more comfortable for students. Other libraries have undergone similar renovations.

In addition, the University has been upgrading the library technology-such as HOLLIS and HOLLIS Plus.

The book collection is constantly growing thanks to the gifts from donors. The library system receives, on average, 100,000 books a year.

Recently, the University received several important gifts for the libraries--including one from Paul M. Weissman '52 to endow part of the preservation center.

Scholarship