Between the first and second renovations of Geisel Library, several other UC San Diego library facilities were also renovated or closed. The biomedical library received a $17 million, 43,454 square foot expansion in 2006. In 2011, the SIO library, the IR/PS library, the
Hillcrest Medical Center library, and the Center for Library Instruction and Computing Services (CLICS) were closed and their collections consolidated into Geisel Library due systemwide budget cuts.
In 2015, university officials announced that Geisel Library would begin to undergo its second renovation. This renovation includes construction of a café named Audrey's on the main level of the library.
Geisel Library's current name has come under increasing criticism over the last few years due to increasing awareness of Theodor Geisel's own expression of anti-Blackness, Orientalism, and other racially-charged beliefs through cartoons and other work that he produced throughout the majority of his career. Although Theodor Geisel did come to renounce his more racially offensive characterizations during an interview for his alma mater of Dartmouth College, there has been no official response by UC San Diego to students requesting a name change.
Design
The distinctive original building was designed in the late 1960s by
William Pereira
William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Remarkably pr ...
to sit at the head of a canyon. The building's arches, in combination with the design of the individual floors, are intended to look like hands holding up a stack of books. William Pereira & Associates prepared a detaile
reportin 1969. Pereira originally conceived of a mushroom-shaped, steel-framed building, but the projected construction and maintenance costs forced him to switch to a reinforced concrete structure. This change of material presented an opportunity for a more sculptural design, as well as opening up interior spaces that would have been bisected by steel trusses. Prior to construction, a 1/2-scale model of one of the outer columns was built and subjected to various tests.
It was envisioned that future additions to the original building would form terraced levels around the tower base descending into the canyon. In keeping with the original master plan, these are "deliberately designed to be subordinated to the strong, geometrical form of the existing library."
, additional text. Within its two subterranean levels are the other library sections as well as study spaces and computer labs. The building has been described by ''Architecture Daily'' as occupying "a fascinating nexus between
brutalism and
futurism". Its tower rises 8 stories to a height of 110 ft (33.5 m). The five upper stories of the tower house collections, individual study space, and group study rooms.
The library entrance is marked by
John Baldessari
John Anthony Baldessari (June 17, 1931 – January 2, 2020) was an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images. He lived and worked in Santa Monica and Venice, California.
Initially a painter ...
's ''READ/WRITE/THINK/DREAM'', an artwork which is part of the
Stuart Collection. Geisel Library also features a life-size bronze statue of its namesake and his most famous character,
The Cat in the Hat
''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red b ...
, on the forum level.
''Snake Path''
The east side of the Geisel forum is literally and symbolically connected to Warren Mall by the
Stuart Collection work ''Snake Path'',
Alexis Smith's 560-foot-long slate tile path that winds towards the library. Its route passes a giant granite ''
Paradise Lost'' and a small garden of fruit trees. The granite book is engraved with the excerpt "Then Wilt Thou Not Be Loth To Leave This Paradis But Shall Possess A Paradise Within Thee, Happier Far."
Third floor
One unusual feature of the library is that the lower levels are numbered 1 and 2, and the upper floors numbered 4 to 8. That has given rise to several fanciful explanations for why the third floor is apparently sealed off and not accessible from elevators or steps.
One of the more popular stories is that the building's design had not taken into account the eventual weight of books in the library, so the third floor has of necessity been left empty, a common urban legend, associated at different times with many other university libraries.
In reality, the "missing" third floor is actually the open/outside forum. There is no other third floor, blocked off or otherwise. It is simply reinforced concrete and an emergency exit that helps students from the 4-8 floors get out without having to go to the second floor. The "third floor" is actually two separate levels. The third floor landings in the public stairwells open to the concrete platform outside the library which was originally intended to be used for sculpture displays, acoustic music, impromptu outdoor conversations, an open public meeting area and poetry readings.
Potential theft of library materials and the risks attributed to the potential theft of UC San Diego's rare private collections of literature and art caused the doors to third floor to be protected, to be used only in emergencies or by building personnel to conduct the transfer of equipment to the central core directly to avoid disrupting library operations. The "second" third floor's landing is numbered as floor "3.5" and consists of utility connections and wiring to the upper levels. There are no accessways beyond the stairwell doors of floor 3.5; they are locked utility rooms, essentially for maintenance and repair.
The doors to the 3rd floor open outwards from the stairwells, and the 3.5 floor doors open inwards towards the central core. The Central Forum, the 3rd floor, was originally intended to be a formal area of the library but outside the interior to avoid disturbing library patrons or library operations.
Collections
The UC San Diego Library provides access to over 7 million digital and print works. Most of its works are organized into collections by subject, but the library also maintains some special collections and collections of distinction. The Mandeville Special Collections and Archives include:
*American Institute of Wine & Food Culinary Collection
*Archive for New Poetry
*Baja California Collection
*California, San Diego, & the History of the West
*Don Cameron Allen Renaissance Collection
*Dr. Seuss Collection:
The Dr. Seuss Collection comprises the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. The collection contains roughly 8,500 items which include: "original drawings, sketches, proofs, notebooks, manuscript drafts, books, audio- and videotapes, photographs, and memorabilia".
[ The Dr. Seuss collection is considered too fragile to be easily accessible. The collection is only open to researchers who have received permission from the director of special collections.
*East Asia Collection
*Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages: The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages was donated to the University of California, San Diego in 1974 by Kenneth E. and Dorothy V. Hill. The collection is considered to be one of the finest for early voyages and discovery in the Pacific. It contains more than 2,000 items that date from the 16th to the mid-19th century. Some of the more interesting items include ship logs from whaling expeditions and records from botanists who made sea voyages.
*The San Diego Technology Archive
*Scripps Institution of Oceanography Collections
*Southworth Spanish Civil War Collection
*Tuzin Archive for Melanesian Anthropology
*Twentieth-Century Science & Public Policy
*UC San Diego Archives
]
Other library buildings
The 2011 consolidation of the UC San Diego Library resulted in Geisel Library and the Biomedical Library building in the School of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
becoming the only remaining library buildings on campus. Additional library materials are located at the Trade Street Storage Annex on Miramar Road and the UC Southern Regional Library Facility at UCLA
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 ...
.
In popular culture
* The TV series ''Simon & Simon
''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...
'' featured the library in its opening credits.
* Geisel Library made an appearance as the exterior of a research lab in '' Killer Tomatoes Strike Back'', the third movie in the cult film series ''Attack of the Killer Tomatoes''.
* The library exterior was featured in the 1984 cult horror film Night Train to Terror
''Night Train to Terror'' is a 1985 American anthology horror film written by Philip Yordan and directed by Jay Schlossberg-Cohen, with segments directed by John Carr, Phillip Marshak, Tom McGowan, and Gregg C. Tallas. The film features three sepa ...
used for Richard Moll’s character’s business office. The film’s screenwriter Philip Yordan
Philip Yordan (April 1, 1914 – March 24, 2003) was an American screenwriter of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who produced several films. He acted as a front for blacklisted writers although his use of surrogate screenwriters predates the McCar ...
was also a professor at University of California San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is th ...
at the time of filming.
* The science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
novel '' Rainbows End'' includes a major subplot focusing on the library.
* Referred to as the "Chatky Headquarters in Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
" in a Kohler commercial.
*The 2004 film ''Funky Monkey'' features several scenes filmed in and on the grounds of the library.
*Used in the film ''The Proud American'' (shooting date 2/17/08)
*The TV series '' Mission: Impossible'' featured the library in the last episode filmed ("The Pendulum") as the "World Resources Ltd." headquarters. (aired 2/23/73)
*The library was referenced by Ted Mosby in the '' How I Met Your Mother'' episode "Mosbius Designs
"Mosbius Designs" is the 20th episode in the fourth season of the television series '' How I Met Your Mother'' and 84th overall. It aired on April 13, 2009. In the episode, Ted starts his own architecture firm while Marshall is worried about his ...
"
*Opening sequence of ''Veronica Mars
''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series pr ...
'' episode from 11/29/06, filmed at the Warren Mall of UC San Diego and featuring shots of various landmarks, including Geisel Library.
* The 2010 film ''Inception
''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infi ...
'' has a snow fortress that is very similar in structure to Geisel.
* The 2010 film '' Kaboom'' features a shot of the library.
* In 2012 the television program ''Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
'' created a remake of the ''Simon & Simon
''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...
'' shot featuring the library, starring Jon Hamm
Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televis ...
, Adam Scott and Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American reality show host and executive producer. He is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of the U.S. version of the reality television show '' Survivor'' since 2000. He was also the host of ...
.
* Featured on the album cover of Circle's 2017 album ''Terminal''
* In 2020 Alan Walker released his single ''Time'', a remix of Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...
’s ''Time'' from the movie ''Inception
''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infi ...
''. The library was featured on the cover. It has slight variations as it is black with red lights illuminating its outline, and a big Red Nexus logo in the center.
* In 2022, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
Orlando Tobias Edward Higginbottom (born 7 March 1986), known professionally as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (or TEED), is a British electronic music producer, DJ and singer-songwriter based in the United States.
Early life
Orlando is ...
released his single ''Never Seen You Dance'', whose accompanying music video is filmed in and outside the library.
See also
* John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library
*Robarts Library
The John P. Robarts Research Library, commonly referred to as Robarts Library, is the main humanities and social sciences library of the University of Toronto Libraries and the largest individual library in the university. Opened in 1973 and n ...
* Sciences Library (Brown University)
References
External links
The UC San Diego Library website
{{Authority control
University of California, San Diego
Libraries in San Diego
Federal depository libraries
University and college academic libraries in the United States
Landmarks in San Diego
Library buildings completed in 1970
Library buildings completed in 1993
William Pereira buildings
Brutalist architecture in California
Modernist architecture in California
Inverted pyramids
Dr. Seuss