What’s the deal with the books in the Gothic Reading Room? Are they extras that no one needs and are just put there for show? Or are they part of the catalogue and might someone actually have to search for one in there? I’ve often wondered about this while I was supposed to be studying in there.
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Once upon a time, there was an “Undergraduate Library” that was separate from Perkins. It occupied the Gothic, DH the Special Collections Reading Room, and floor space above Special Collections. The books in the Gothic, like those in the DH, were significant parts of those collections. When the UGL was disbanded, many of the books were merged into Perkins (or Lilly, as appropriate), and over the years bibliographers have gone back to make sure that we don’t have items there that have to be in Perkins. Mostly, at this point, they are older editions and/or duplicates that we don’t need to move. The books that remain are cataloged: they have the LOCATION designation “Perkins Reading Room.” They may be checked out (at the Perkins Circulation Desk), and when they are returned they are recataloged for the regular Perkins stacks.