It is widely known that Wesleyan has a diverse student body. There are hippies and there are jocks, there are painters and poets, musicians and ping-pong players. And then there are those who study at Olin Library and those who study across the street at the Science Library, or “Sci-Li.”
Aside from the natural reasons why some students might gravitate toward one library (for instance, to use science books if a student is taking a chemistry class), there are other factors that shape students’ predilections.
“I don’t like the lighting [in the Science Library]. It’s really sterile,” said Jennifer Colker ’04.
“The lighting is much better here,” said Lara Indrasena ’06 while studying with a group in the Science Library.
“I think there’s certainly a rivalry,” said Katie D’Ambrosio ’06 who frequents both libraries.
It seems that there is some sort of rivalry between the University’s two main libraries. Olin Memorial Library, completed in 1927, was built in a traditional neo-classical design; its prominent feature is the163-foot wide marble portico of six Ionic columns topped with an ornamented pediment and a balustrade above.
The first sketches for the design of Olin Library were drawn by Henry Bacon, the prominent architect who designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Bacon died soon after making the preliminary sketches for Wesleyan’s central library and the job was passed on to the prestigious New York architectural firm, McKim, Mead & White.
Since its opening, Olin Library has expanded over the decades, most significantly when construction began in 1983 to add 46,000 square feet onto the north side that faces Andrus Field.
“It’s prettier here,” said Cathy Pyenson ’05 “plus, you get to watch the baseball players.”
“I like working [at Olin Library] in the morning because of the nice natural light and, if you’re tired, you can just take a nap on one of the comfortable chairs,” Colker said.
“The Sci-Li is a little depressing with its harsh lighting,” said Hallie Cooper-Novack ’07.
Clearly, lighting seems to be a critical factor in creating the proper study environment for students. The Science Library, part of the architecturally modern Exley Science Center, is uniformly lit with bright white lights set into the ceiling. The walls are white and in the center of two computer lab areas stand pieces of metal sculpture composed of random mechanical pieces.
Across the street, in the main lobby of Olin Library, an ornate chandelier illuminates the portraits of individuals, long deceased, with a dimmer yellow light. To the left is the Smith Reading Room that is reserved for silent study. There are wooden tables with brass table lamps, and Flemish tapestries hung on the walls.
“Even though it’s a silent room,” said Allison Weisberg ’05, “I do a lot a of whispering. I feel like a lot of my friends come here, who are mostly humanities majors. I think people feel like intellectuals when they study in Smith.”
Is one library more serious than the other? Apparently, it all depends on who you ask. It seems that there is not even a general feeling one way or the other.
Studying neuroscience at the Science Library, Jackie Noh ’05 said, “I go to Olin when I really have to work and I come here to socialize, eat, and let my cell phone ring.”
Julia Glanternik ’05 agreed that the Science Library provides a more low-key environment for study.
“[The Science Library] is great for informal study sessions because you can talk and eat,” said Inam Ahmed ’04. “It’s also the international student hang-out. I think [the International students] are scared that the local kids at Olin will beat them up.”
But other students feel that the Science Library is more conducive to serious work rather than casual study.
“On intense nights, I’ll go to Sci-Li,” Pyenson said.
Colker said that Olin Library was good for serious study but just as suitable for socializing.
“Sometimes if I don’t have very much to do, I’ll just take a lap around [Olin] and see if there’s anyone I know,” she said.
Students have allegiances to one library instead of the other based on factors from study environment to social atmosphere.
“I don’t think I’ve been inside Olin since I came to look at the school on the group tour,” said David Lucer ’07, who takes primarily math and sciences courses and studies exclusively in the Science Library.
Perhaps, students should change their place of study periodically if only to get a better feel for how the “other half” lives. And we should not forget that there are two other smaller libraries on campus, the Art Library in the Davison Art Building and the Psychology Library on the ground floor of Judd Hall.
Caitlin Henningson ’06 admitted that her favorite library is the Art Library.
“My allegiance is with the Art Library. It’s kind of like this kindergarten library because all the chairs are small,” she said.
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