Dear Editor,

Regarding “Brotherly Love,” Nov. 14’s  article devoted to Tulane-Loyola comparisons, I would like to point out that the true value of a library is correlated by its very nature to the size and comprehensiveness of its collection, not its comfort levels.

While Loyola’s J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe library may boast “posh décor and ample computers,” I am usually obliged to send my students next door to Tulane when they are required to undertake research of any but the most perfunctory kind.

The Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford was built in the 16th century, doesn’t allow anyone to check out books, has one ladies’ room per several thousand readers, no air conditioning and smells like burnt waffles — but with a collection second only in size to the Library of Congress, it is no wonder that it has a considerable waiting list of external applicants who desire to take advantage of its riches.

In the final analysis, it is the well-stocked library, not necessarily the well-upholstered one, which gives serious students the tools they need to pursue a serious education.
Let’s get our priorities straight. 

Sincerely,
Lori Frey Ranner
lecturer, history and classical humanities