Calendar: 1972-1973 Page 414

xxxii Annual Report of the Delegacy THE LIBRARY Reorganisation The climax of the year's work in the College Library was the occupation during the long vacation of 1971 of its allotted premises in the new multi-purpose building which represented the first stage in the long-term development of the College Preparations for this occupation had indeed been in hand long before the beginning of the session under review but they reached peak of intensity during the summer term when the detailed arrangements for the move into the New Library and for the consequent moves within and into the old General Library were formulated in anticipation of the new building being handed over to the College in time for the reorganisation of the Library to be effected during the long vacation In the event the hand- over did not take place until mid-July but it nevertheless proved possible to execute the moves in time for the working collections to be once more fully operational by the beginning of the session 1971 72 The reorganisation involved the move of all but one of the subject libraries within the Strand site as well as the Library's administrative offices and called for great deal of effort on the part of the Library staff all of whom worked unstintingly to ensure that the operation was completed on time particular tribute was due to the Deputy Librarian for his untiring application both to the supervision of the moves and to the resolution of the many problems arising from the occupation of the New Library Although the occupation of the new building left the Library with many problems to be resolved during 1971 72 there could be no doubt that the College Library was now better provided for than at any time within living memory The working collections in all subjects except that in Botany at Half Moon Lane were now supervised and all but two subject libraries within the Strand site were concentrated in two main Library areas only the Engineering library moved to more spacious accommodation vacated by the Laws library and the French library which remained in situ owing to lack of space in the Modern Languages library in the new building remained outside these two main areas But although the new arrangements could be expected to bring the advantages from the academic point of view of greater accessibility to the various subject libraries and of better service to all readers the two main Library areas were to be used more intensively than was desirable or indeed intended in the long term in order to achieve proper control over the book stock through abolishing the