Olde School

I miss my old law school library at Bourgie Metro Law. I miss the big tables, of which there were many--on each of the four floors! There was the main reading room, yes--but I have a particular fondness for the second floor (where camped my friends). I am a bit indifferent to the third floor, and wholly disdainful of the mezzanine (too many bad memories there). I also miss the reading room on the fourth floor in the tower, where there were plushy leather armchairs and gasp! fiction to read. Not that the law students ever really took advantage of that delightful distraction, but it was nice to know that such lovely distraction was encouraged. (And even paid for; you could request the librarians to order books, meaning that you could use your law library privileges to borrow current fiction for a whole semester).

So what's up with Liberal College Law, man? Our law library only has one main reading room. ONE. And it's always too hot, crowded, and noisy there. There is another set of tables in the ___ addition, but everything else is a cubicle. Cubicles! Ugh. The entire seating arrangement comprises one floor, and the rest of the library is hidden in a maze of scary stacks off to the side (separate "wing" is too generous). When I think of other schools.... nevermind.

So I really hate using that library. Still, the roomate pushes me to do more work outside the house for variety. So I've taken to exploring the libraries on the campus--and now, not only do I insecurely compare my current law school (oddly, better ranked and with more money) to my previous law school--I now compare our library to every other library here. And most of them are better! It's just like how the law school is the ugliest building on campus, except for (ironically) the school of architecture.

While the law school is ugly, brutalist depressing crap, the rest of the campus is beautiful. It's old enough to look olde school cool, but by no means too old to be uncomfortable or too musty looking. And the grounds are beautiful, full of native trees and plants--it's like a state park, with buildings. And you can really see the range of architectural styles as the school expanded in size and breadth over the course of a century. What I like about our main library is it's Hogwarts-like majesty. I know I'm speaking from a position of a publicly-educated-at-underfunded-state-schools, but seriously--I like the neoclassic architecture and high-vaulted, coffered ceilings. I totally dig the marble floors and columns.

Best of all, I like the ____ Reading Room. It reminds me a bit of the reading room at my old law school, but even better. Tons of distracting reading to choose from. I read a bit from Claire Tomalin's biography of Thomas Hardy to wake me up from org theory haze. I liked the grandfather's study look to it all--lots of arm chairs and ottomans, banker's lamps, and stacks of highbrow literary reviews arranged carelessly on tables. I liked that some professors came in and tried to read, falling asleep almost immediately and snoring loudly. They reminded me of my grandfather.