Crank Out the Books

 

The University of Mississippi J D. Williams library originally started out as six floors when it was built. Well, as the University became larger and technology became more advanced, the library renovated. In order to add air conditioning, running water, bathrooms, etc. They had to down size the library to three floors. This eliminated the valuable space for books and references. The Solution? Shelf cranks.

What would the library be without them? Todd Bowen a graduate student assistant with the reference department responded to this question.

 

“Well, the library would either have to be much larger, or we would just have to get rid of a lot of books. The bookshelf cranks help keep the size down because usually not every aisle of books is needed for immediate access.”

So next time you use the crank to find a book, don’t forget without that crank, you may not have had that book.