Beinecke - library of rare books and manuscripts Bashny.Net

Beinecke — Library of rare books and manuscripts at Yale University. This is the largest building in the world dedicated to finding and preserving rare books, manuscripts and documents. Completed in 1963, located on the campus of Yale University in new haven, the library can store approximately 780,000 books. Currently Beineke contains approximately 500,000 volumes and several million manuscripts including the original Gutenberg Bible, and the mysterious Voynich manuscript.

Prior to the construction of libraries and rare books from Yale were kept on special shelves in the College Library, now known as Dwight Hall. Later in 1930, during the construction of the Memorial library Stirling, the University created a special reading room for rare books. As the collection grew, a reading room, Sterling became too small and unsuitable for the conservation of fine manuscripts, and there was a need for a larger library.

The main concern is the preservation of documents. The problem was to provide ample lighting for studying and reading manuscripts in normal conditions. But it was necessary to limit the amount of light that can damage old documents. To this end, the facade of the building was equipped with a thick transparent marble glass, allowing light to spread and illuminate the interior without causing damage to the rare materials inside.

The building is constructed of Vermont marble, granite, bronze and glass surrounded by neo-classical and Gothic buildings. In the center is a glass book tower, six levels, capable of storing 180,000 volumes. It is the tower and contains the most valuable collection, is restricted to everyone except librarians. Two large marble staircases ascend to the mezzanine level, allowing visitors to see the collection of books. The tower is equipped with a damping system of fire, which, instead of using water sprinklers combinations of gases capable of a few seconds to stop the combustion process.

Below the main building Beineke are two more floors, which contain mechanical equipment and a large book store on the lowest level, and also catalog, reference room, reading room and staff offices. Library Beinecke open to all Yale students, and visiting her researchers.