The Farnsworth Room

Students presently attending Harvard College were asked in a survey about the Farnsworth Room what changes they would make to the room if they had the opportunity to do so. A common response was to lower the level of air conditioning to provide a warmer, possibly more comfortable, space to read and relax. The need for more comfortable chairs and less tables was also often noted; students seem to like the large leather chairs in the wellness area. Some students go further to suggest “comfy couches”, “cool beanbags” and “tons of snacks” as possible improvements to the room.

It seems as though the general consensus among students about the types of books they would like available in the room is shifting more and more from classic novels and renowned literature to comic books, travel guides, graphic novels and the latest best selling novels from pop culture. At the present time the room hosts a great range of books from the “classics” to comic book series and most genres in between. This aspect of the room seems to be well under control as the hard working staff in charge of the room are always on the lookout for certain books that have not circulated for some time. These books will be removed from the room and placed in a different section of the library to make room for new books and series that are popular among students of today; complementing the room’s original purpose to serve the curious minds of avid readers in the undergraduate community. With the ever changing interests of each generation of students it is easy to imagine the titles lining the walls of the room to be unrecognizable in another hundred years, just as the books today are vastly different to those originally donated in 1916.

The future of the Farnsworth room, in the most basic terms, will be the same as it was first intended to be and how it is today; a space for students to read and relax. What they read and on what furniture they relax has changed and may possibly change in the future, and the location of the room may also change as it did mid 20th century, but the purpose of the room is and always will be to provide an environment for undergraduates to relax, read or work in a quiet and comfortable space. The room will most likely continue to be used primarily as a noise-free study space by students, whether undergraduate or not, and although this was not its intended purpose the Farnsworth room will forever be filled with a rich history and provide a sense of welcomeness to set it apart from just another study space in the Harvard library.