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Powell Library is the main college undergraduate library on the campus of the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
(UCLA). Powell Library is also known as the College Library. It was constructed from 1926 to 1929 and was one of the original four buildings that comprised the UCLA campus in the early period of the university's life. Its Romanesque Revival architecture design, its historic value and its popularity with students make it one of the defining images of UCLA.


Style

Like the building facing it across the quad,
Royce Hall Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison (James Edward Allison, 1870–1955, and his brother David Clark Allison, 1881–1962) and completed ...
, the building's exterior is modeled after Milan's
Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio (official name: ''Basilica romana minore collegiata abbaziale prepositurale di Sant'Ambrogio'') is a church in the center of Milan, northern Italy. History One of the most ancient churches in Milan, it was built by ...
. The entrance of the library is adorned with several mosaics, one of which depicts two men holding a book bearing the phrase, from
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
's '' Pro Archia Poeta'', "''Haec studia adulescentiam alunt, senectutem oblectant''" ("These studies nourish youth and delight old age"), an appropriate dictum for the vast collection for undergraduate students. There are also Renaissance Printers' Marks on the ceiling.


History

The library is named for
Lawrence Clark Powell Lawrence Clark Powell (September 3, 1906–March 14, 2001) was a librarian, literary critic, bibliographer and author of more than 100 books. Powell "made a significant contribution to the literature of the library profession, but he also writ ...
, the University Librarian at UCLA from 1944 to 1961 and Dean of the Graduate School of Library Service from 1960 to 1966. It is part of the extensive UCLA Library system. The Graduate School of Library and Information Science, as GSLS was later known, was housed for many years in the southwestern corner of the top floor. During this period the building also contained a separate unit of the campus library system devoted to education and psychology, which was later closed and its collection distributed among the other campus libraries. In 1951, author
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...
wrote an early draft of his classic novel
Fahrenheit 451 ''Fahrenheit 451'' is a 1953 dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury. Often regarded as one of his best works, ''Fahrenheit 451'' presents an American society where books have been personified and outlawed and "firemen" burn any that ar ...
in Powell Library using typewriters that were then available for rent. Students at UCLA have affectionately called this library "Club Powell" because it has a reputation for being louder than most libraries. Others explain that it is because this library has a room called Night Powell that is open 24/7 beginning on third week. Currently, the whole library is open 24/7 during tenth and finals week. The Inquiry Desk staff provides fruit and coffee during this stressful time. Powell hosts de-stressor programs during tenth and finals week, which include bringing therapy dogs, origami stations, and meditation. Located in the second floor Rotunda, this UCLA library often hosts events. Past events include the Edible Book Festival, Silent Disco, Video Game Orchestra, and International Games Day.


Services

The Hoover Collection is a digital collection of photos from the late 1920s to 1950s that features Powell Library, Royce Hall, and the construction of Janss Steps. Powell Library is part of the "Ask A Librarian" service, where people can chat with a University of California librarian 24/7.


See also

*
Royce Hall Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison (James Edward Allison, 1870–1955, and his brother David Clark Allison, 1881–1962) and completed ...
* UCLA Library *
Maine East High School Maine East High School, or Maine East, and officially Maine Township High School East, is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Dempster Street and Potter Road in Park Ridge, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, in the Unite ...


References


External links

{{authority control Library buildings completed in 1929 University and college academic libraries in the United States University of California, Los Angeles buildings and structures Romanesque Revival architecture in California Libraries in Los Angeles