>> the hayes collected over 12,000 books, all of which are at the rutherford hayes library in ohio. e preferred fiction. she liked harriet beecher stowe. she liked to read to the children. rutherford's taste went more toward the heavier drama. they would sit around and read to each other from the latest book or dickens. >> we are talking about life in the white house. an interesting juxtaposition they preserved that and found some of the predecessor's furniture. they were also interested in technology. they brought the typewriter, the plumbing in the white house, and what else did they do to the building? >> i am not sure. >> congress would not appropriate money to fix it. the carpets had holes in them. she strategically placed the furniture. the ones on bottom were put up toward the top. she found pieces of furniture in the attic, got a few things reupholstered, and went out and bought some pieces. once they finally got money, she put new carpets in the east room and reupholster pieces and added one more conservatory. >> that is preserving the white house history as it is. technolog

thomas culbertson: the hayeses collected over 12,000 books, all of which are at the rutherford hayes library in fremont, ohio. and she preferred light fiction. she liked harriet beecher stowe, not necessarily "uncle tom's cabin." she liked to read to the children. rutherford's taste went more to shakespeare and the heavier drama, but william dean howells was a relative by marriage, so they would sit around and read to each other from the latest howells book or dickens. susan swain: while we're talking about life in the white house, an interesting juxtaposition about the hayeses' interests. they were interested in the white house as a building. they were antiquarians who preserved and even found some of their predecessors' furniture but they were also interested in technology. allida black: yes. susan swain: so they brought the typewriter. they put plumbing in the white house. what else did they do to the building? allida black: well, i'm not really sure. tom, do you know that? thomas culbertson: well, they expanded the conservatories for one thing. but one problem they had was that congress would not appropr