I am a campus library hater.
I remember vividly going on a tour through Northwestern about two years ago, passing the University library and Deering and thinking “Wow, golly, I will be spending SO much time in these buildings, it’ll be just like Hogwarts, YEAH!”
But then, upon my arrival to NU, I quickly learned that U-Lib is filled with bad vibes.
The Bad Vibrary.
I had to go to the computer lab to do my fall quarter schedule, and while walking through the first floor, the sheer tension throughout the place was thick enough to cut with a meat cleaver. Tons of people everywhere, heads buried in laptops and textbooks, looking like their best friend had perished in a freak accident. And it was only Wildcat Welcome. I tried to sample the atmosphere of Deering a few days later, and after attempting to navigate through the labyrinthine halls and stairwells, I landed in some ancient archives room by accident ... and got yelled at for making too much noise with my Converse soles squeaking on the marble floor.
Now, taking myself too seriously is one of my greatest fears in life. Which is funny, because I somehow go to a school where taking yourself very seriously is high on the list of The Most Important Things to Do. There’s just something about being in a giant room full of stressed-out crazies that makes me stressed out and crazy as well. Like, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em (in their neurotic glory).
Except I’ve found a way to beat them all: Get off campus. Specifically, Evanston Public Library: my oasis of chill study perfection. And it can be yours too!
One of the many cool things about EPL is that it is located in a very high-traffic area of the city, and the crowd that it attracts is blessedly devoid of students. Instead, you have your typical old folks, lots of adorable toddlers and elementary school kids, some yuppie parents, and a few stressed out Kellogg-ers. So, in other words, a genuine cross-section of humanity. EPL makes me feel like I’m back in the real world, and I need that kind of perspective at least two times a week. We all are guilty of getting stuck in the university bubble and neglecting to realize that the world is not actually made up of 18-22-year-olds. I love being reminded of how old and mature I really am every time I walk into EPL and am greeted by the tropical-themed, neon-colored decor of the children’s section; I just want to curl up on the comfy-looking benches shaded by fake palm trees and do my homework there ... but alas, that would be inappropriate. It would also be inappropriate to temporarily steal (borrow?) one of the adorable toddlers toddling around with one of those giant picture books that’s bigger than their entire body. Library kids are not like pets. It’s all about the reality checks, I swear.
Speaking of reality checks, I am a diehard fan of the characters that inhabit the free computers on my favorite floor (third floor reference, holla!). I say “characters” with all the love and respect in the world. Most of them are quirky ancient dudes who sprawl out their architecture blueprints/stamp collections/letter-writing supplies/unidentifiable maps all over entire tables and mutter to themselves as they do whatever one does with blueprints/stamps/letters/maps. I like to make up fun stories about these guys, like how they were Purple Heart recipients or nutty professors or major pimps with seven girls on constant rotation. Also, there are a few token homeless people who seek refuge in the free computer access. One lady brings her entire bag collection with her, creates a tiny little fort around her station, and stays there all day.
Another reason why EPL rocks is that the lighting is perfection. It may seem snobbish and weird, but I am a freak about how a place is lit in accordance to what you do there--bathrooms need bluish, soft lighting so you look tan and photoshopped in the mirror, bedrooms need warm-toned, soft lighting all over so they beg for romantic sexy time, coffee shops need to be fairly-dimmed so you can feel mysterious as you sip your espresso and pretend to be Simone de Beauvoir (or is that just me...), and libraries need to be heavenly-sunlit, like beacons of higher learning in the sky. As you travel up the four floors of EPL, the lighting grows brighter and brighter. My ideal is the aforementioned third floor reference section (read: not the study corral section on the opposite side). To the left of all the textbooks and newspapers and magazines is a row of a few tables and desks that are directly next to huge windows. These windows usually have the shades shut, but people don’t realize that they are free to open them and let the sunshine in.
Then, there is the added bonus of the giant shelves of unread magazines that provide for great procrastination/study break tools. I usually scour the alphabetical rows and make a nicely-sized pile (go to’s include Allure, Cosmo, Elle, GQ, Health, The Knot, Psychology Today) next to my laptop for mid-paper perusing. That’s part of my study philosophy, always creating meaningful and fulfilling distractions for yourself – if you’re just going to scroll Facebook, your brain is frying itself. But if you are giving yourself a side-education on the latest in beauty/sex/fashion/men’s interests/fitness/weddings/psychology, it’s worth the time, right? I swear I’ve had moments of existential actualization while gazing up at the obscenely-high, artsy-beamed ceilings, clutching a plastic-covered mag and ignoring my half-written paper EPL feels as close to my made-up higher learning heaven as anything.