Reading Response #1: The Righteous Domain

The physical domain of the University of Michigan Law School Library is uniformed and consistent. From the moment you walk through the main entrance you are greeted with a feeling of prestige and order. The primary domain of the library can be observed as one serving the students that study or research law by providing them with a physical location to access information. There are two rows of long tables with walls of books surrounding them allowing students easy access to information. I chose to investigate the Law Library because it is a space that has the potential to help facilitate learning by providing its occupants with the right environment to do so. “No matter how beautiful his conception of a garden may be it will, nevertheless, be a failure if it is not the right environment for the plants to flourish, if they cannot flourish in it” (Rasmussen, pg. 12). Another reason I chose to photograph the Law Library is due to the lasting, historical nature of the library. Contradicting Rasmussen’s belief of “what is fitting and proper in one generation becomes ridiculous in the next when people have acquired new tastes and habits” (Rasmussen, pg. 10). Due to the prestige and history of this building and the school, upon entering the Law Library the domain brings your attention to this and promotes behaving in a respectful, elegant way while occupying the domain.