Page:Library Construction, Architecture, Fittings, and Furniture.djvu/87

Rh of a bookcase and gallery and lift from the University Library at Göttingen. It will be noticed that there is no central division to the cases, and that each shelf has a thin strip of wood at its back to prevent the books being pushed through. This is;i doubtful advantage, and may sometimes prevent the shelving of an oblong work, which would otherwise have stood upon the shelf and projected a little into the shelf-room of the adjoining division. A space is left between each case and the floor of the gallery for ventilation, and an iron rod is fixed, at a suitable height, at right angles to the floor, to prevent unwary feet from going through. In the Bibliothèque Nationale at Paris

a space of 6 inches is left for the same purpose, but it is covered with galvanised iron netting. In the University Library at Halle a similar form of construction is used, but here the rod is encased in a strip of iron, which is screwed to the uprights, and forms a narrow step at right angles to the case. This allows an ample space for ventilation between the case and the flooring, with no liability to accident. Fig. 18 gives the method of fastening, details of one of the steps, and part of the perforated floor from the stack room at Halle.