Page:Library Construction, Architecture, Fittings, and Furniture.djvu/81

Rh high. These are grooved to carry brackets, which are held in place by keys, automatic wedges, or other devices. The shelves, which may be of wood or metal, are supported by the brackets at either side. The uprights sink into feet secured to the floor, and are tied together longitudinally at the top with tie-bars, and completed with ornamental finials. The exposed ends can be fitted with handsome pilasters, the capitals comprising a label-holder for class and case numbers, and the connecting bars forming an arch over the entrance to the alcoves.

Another form of iron bookcase is the "Lambert," which may be seen in the Worcester Public Library. The shelves rest upon brackets which slide upon an upright, and automatically lock when released.

A system of fire-proof library fixtures built up of steel and bronze has lately been introduced by the "Fenton" Metallic Manufacturing Company of Jamestown, New York. The uprights are formed of cold rolled steel plates deep enough to accommodate the shelf required, and are slotted at inch intervals to receive the shelves. The latter are made of steel, and have a bead or roll at the front, the whole being polished and finished with japan, thus giving the metal a smooth surface like porcelain.

In Fig. 14 is given a section of the stack room of the University Library at Halle, showing the arrangement of the bookcases and stairs; and in Fig. 15 is shown in detail, on a larger scale, the