Mudd Manuscript Library Blog

As part of Princeton University’s ongoing goal of expanding building accessibility, Mudd’s wheelchair ramp is scheduled to be upgraded starting on Monday, July 13, 2009.

This project is expected to take four weeks to complete. The first part of the construction involves the removal of the old ramp, which is expected to last three to four days. The initial removal work will involve jackhammers, which of course are very noisy. Please note that the ramp is immediately adjacent to Mudd’s reading room and the jackhammering will certainly be noticeable from within the reading room. During this time, Mudd staff will provide ear plugs for any patrons upon request.

During the construction period, any patrons who require an access ramp should enter Sherrerd Hall, adjacent to Mudd, and then exit through its east door, through which access to Mudd’s front door is possible.

If you have any questions about the construction or Mudd’s accessibility, please feel free to contact us at 609-258-6345 or mudd@princeton.edu.

Early this year, staff from the University’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), in preparing for the move to the new chemistry building, found a filing cabinet in the Frick Laboratory (currently home of the Chemistry Department) containing material related to Princeton’s involvement with the Manhattan Project. (While the common perception of the Manhattan Project is that it was physicists doing the work, a great part of the effort involved chemists too.) Many of the documents were labeled as classified, though some were stamped with Declassified stamps from the 1950s. EHS Director Garth Walters sought advice from the General Counsel’s office and Val Fitch (emeritus professor who worked in Los Alamos during the war). Fitch did not believe any of the documents were still classified, but until that was definitively determined, the General Counsel’s office suggested that a more secure place be found for the cabinet, and hence a call to the Mudd Library in March.