 Though impressive to look at , the new building was something less than a success as a library . The air of spaciousness was produced at the expense of shelf room , and though in the octagon [ at the north end ] the decorative effect of row upon row of books soaring upwards towards the cornice was considerable , the loftiest were totally inaccessible save to those who could scale the longest and <unk> ladders . Further , the appointments were of such surpassing mag @-@ <unk> that no ink @-@ pots were allowed in the room for fear of accidents . 
