How Does a Library Extend Beyond Its Walls?
“Libraries and archives are testaments of memory. They are repositories of the full realm of human experience, treasuries of experience that transcend ages. Librarians and archivists tend them with devotion for decades. When the last digital bit fails, books and documents will affirm our humanity.”
— Anthony Alofsin, Professor Emeritus, Architectural History
“Extension begins within. What happens in the bounded space of the library shapes habits of inquiry beyond its confines. Browsing shelves allows for unexpected encounters that differ from targeted digital search, while the material presence of books invites slower forms of attention and haptic engagement. As a shared space, the library brings reading bodies into proximity, offering glimpses of others’ intellectual worlds and sustaining a sense of fellowship among readers. These embodied practices remain difficult to replicate elsewhere.”
— Aleksandra Jaeschke, Associate Professor, Architecture and Sustainable Design
"Libraries, like universities, influence through porosity. Students, faculty, books and ideas flow in and out of a library, carrying with them the knowledge that seeds change in the world. The imminent reopening of the John Chase Architecture and Planning Library after years of investment heralds a return of both our collections and our people to Battle Hall, restoring the porosity of knowledge and ideas.”
— Francisco Gomes, Associate Professor, Architecture
“When I step into my libraries, I travel to Italian hill towns, the Chateaux of the Loire, Yosemite Valley or the Novartis campus in Basel. I develop warm relationships with my heroes now deceased. I savor the soft rustle when opening a clamshell case, the smell and feel of the leather, the texture of letterpress printing, and the beauty of drawings and engravings. The walls don’t contain me. I have the keys to the world.”
— R. Lawrence “Larry” Good, FAIA, B.Arch ’72
"Almost anything can become an archive when traditional ones have neglected a field or community. Yet nothing replaces the library and archive as vital social spaces — places to serendipitously encounter unexpected sources, browse journals, engage with institutional history, make intellectual and interpersonal connections. Despite Katie, Beth, Nancy and Stephanie's dedicated work to keep resources accessible, the closure of Battle Hall has left a void for the past few years. Its reopening will be an important homecoming this fall."
— Ulli Unterweger, Ph.D. Candidate, Architectural History
“Libraries and archival collections are invaluable for architectural preservation. Original drawings and prints serve as a north star when conducting a restoration. Building elements lost to the passage of time — pressed metal ceilings, ornamental railings, fine carpentry — can be traced from historic photos, and trade catalogs contain details needed to reproduce hardware. By referencing these records, new life can be imparted into old buildings for future generations to enjoy.”
— Anthony Vannette, Texas Historical Commission Architect, B.Arch ’19
“Libraries offer escape, but they also provide community in many wonderful ways. They help you travel to faraway places and enter the lives of others, but they are also third spaces: Quiet conversations and chance encounters invite reconnection with friends, a feeling of being at home, a place of respite from rain and heat in the warm surrounds of book spines and magazine covers.”
— Bjørn Sletto, Professor, Community and Regional Planning
“Because they are a part of the world, archives are always incomplete. One of the great challenges and joys of writing history is wrestling with the gaps between what is collected within the archive's walls and what remained outside of them. This dance is the way we make sense of that great lesson of history — things have changed, and they still can.”
— Bryan Norwood, Assistant Professor, Architectural History
