Built into the Holyoke Mountain Range by the federal government during the height of the Cold War, the “Bunker” served as part of the Strategic Air Command until it was decommissioned and ultimately sold to Amherst College. Since 2002 FCI has also used a portion of the Bunker for the Five College Library Repository Collection.
Jason Fuller, the Collection Manager for the Repository Collection at both the Bunker and the new FCI Annex, will tell us more about the construction of this facility, the history of its conversion from “sword” to “plowshare”, and its current uses, which include not only library but also geology and natural history collections.
Some cautions: The temperature in the building, which is almost entirely underground, is 65°F; bring a sweater. Much of the building can be accessed only by stairs, and the floors are concrete. There will be a few folding chairs where participants can sit for a short while during the tour, but this tour may not be suitable for all members of FCLIR. There is plenty of parking.
