(14) The Geography Library

After over a week of being busy, procrastinating, having hypothermia and a stomach bug, I decided that it was time to get back to the all important task of library hopping (and obviously getting some work done).

The geography library can be found in the corner of the Downing site, in one of their standard redbrick buildings. 

Exciting

After going up a few flights of stairs, helpfully guided by 'library' signs, I managed to get there - although it wasn't the easiest of libraries to find.

Old school staircase

As with a number of other departments I've visited, the Geography library operates a 'leave your bag and coat on a shelf' system. 

The return of the shelves

An open and inviting door

Bag and coat safely deposited, once inside there were a decent number of large wooden tables with a couple of bookstands on each - a helpful addition that I haven't yet encountered at any other library.

Very solid looking tables

There weren't any lamps on the desks, nor could I find any plug sockets near me (although that might be because I wasn't looking very hard). This wasn't a problem for the reading that I needed to do as the sunlight from the window was more than enough, but I suspect that it might get a bit dark and gloomy on a less sunny day.

And look at the sunlight!

Bookshelves from floor to ceiling - efficient use of space

Whilst the library was almost deserted first thing, by the time I left at 12:30 most tables had at least one person working on them.

And some nice pot plants 

A rather more 'traditional' library with plenty of deskspace, helpful bookstands, and a generally calm and peaceful atmosphere. Nice to work in before it became a bit too crowded as the day went on. 

(13) The Radzinowicz Library (Institute of Criminology)

On a rainy Monday afternoon, armed with a caffe Nero takeaway and a bag full of books about international relations (both equally important to my degree) I set off for my favourite library hunting ground, the Sidgwick site. Just when I thought I had seen all there was to see by way of libraries, the criminology library offered a new building with Cambridge blue desks and a relaxed, but focused work space. 

Snazzy and new

So classy

Wait, what?

So clean and orderly

The tables were a beautiful shade of cambridge blue - always a good sign.

Nice colour scheme

And that awkward moment when you clash with the table

Is this the least inspiring view yet?

Nice bookshelf

There were a surprising number of armchairs dotted around the ground floor, which certainly contributed to a more relaxed atmosphere.

Relax

Staying in the library to avoid this

Despite the dark and gloomy weather, the lighting within the library was more than adequate. There weren't any desk lamps that I could see but the powerful ceiling lights more than made up for it.

So bright!

There's no one else there...

This was why I didn't want to leave...

A very nice, quiet library - the perfect place to work when the weather is miserable, and an excellent choice in furniture. 

(12) The MML Library

It's a grey, miserable Friday 13th, week five has begun, I've been awake since 5am and I have one last book to read before starting on an essay. A perfect time, therefore, to cheer myself up by exploring the MML Library. Housed in the aptly and imaginatively named 'Raised Faculty Building'(which is indeed a building for a faculty that is raised off the ground) the MML Library has proved to be one of my favourites so far.

It's certainly raised

The main entrance to the building has a staircase/lift thing that looks likes it's come out of some kind of retro spaceship. A promising start.

Interesting

The first thing I noticed about the library was just how long it was.

The end of the room isn't even in focus

So much space!

There are loads of little nooks and crannies, tables hidden round corners and random pillars. It's easy to find somewhere nice and secluded to sit, surrounded by bookshelves. If you prefer working in open, airy spaces there are a few large tables available, although the low ceilings keep it feeling small. 

Any library that needs a map is probably quite big

The library was surprisingly empty. This might have been a result of the layout - there are so many places to tuck yourself away around the sides that it becomes very hard to tell how many people are in the library, or guess where they might be. This is actually quite a good thing - it allows for a greater degree of privacy.

Empty chairs at empty tables

I chose a nice little table with a view of the history faculty. There weren't any lamps on this particular desk, but the light from the large window was more than adequate.

Appropriately light blue chairs

Oh hi History Faculty

It's warm, light, and spacious, with good views over the Sidgwick. If you want to spend a day in a library, the MML library is definitely a good choice. 

(11) The Classics Library

Due to taking a Late Antiquity paper in my first year, the Classics library is one of the few that I had already been to before I began my library hopping. However, it's conveniently located on the edge of the Sidgwick site and it's seemed like a good idea to return to it with a new perspective.

Quite a classy sign

Is that person pointing to the library?

Upon entering, I was immediately confronted by a couple of statues of naked men, which, I must admit, is fairly novel and certainly gets one into the 'classical' frame of mind. Beyond the naked men, the library is a very long room, neatly laid out with tables on either side and bookshelves in the middle.

Not your usual library decoration

Ironically, given that I was in the classics library, I was reading books discussing issues of modernity and using phrases such as 'transcend the historical obliqueness of these constructed dichotomies'. This was around the point that my mind stopped working and I started to have a good look round. 

Cute little wooden block lamp

All the bookshelves run down the centre of the room, with clear labeling on the end of each, making it very easy to find whatever you're looking for.

Lots of fairly standard bookshelves

Down both sides of the room are six-person tables. Each seat has it's own block-of-wood-lamp with an individual switch, which is a nice touch.

To add to the organisation of the place, each table is numbered, presumably this makes it easier to remember where you left your books. It also means that I can state with some certainty that there were 23 tables, and a quick calculation tells me that gives the library a full capacity of 138. This seems pretty decent for a course with around 80 in a year.

Many classicists, much work being done

Well organised layout, lots of space, comfy chairs, and bookshelves full of identically jacketed old-looking books - the Classics library certainly has a lot going for it.  

If the sight of this bookshelf doesn't fill you with joy, I don't want to know you 

(10) The Casimir Lewy Library (Philosophy)

Having realised that I needed to up my library visitation rate if I want to get around even half of the faculty libraries, my Friday morning was spent in the Casimir Lewy library.

More wacky Sidgwick Site architecture

The library is inside a building on stilts, presumably because an architect thought that it seemed like a good idea at the time, or perhaps as a preventative measure for when East Anglia is flooded by global warming/sea levels rising or something.

I was signed up for borrowing rights by a friendly librarian who took pride in telling me how much better the philosophy library loan system was than the Seeley. Books can be taken out for a week, and fined 40p per item per day, which certainly seems reasonable. 

Not the most impressive door

The library itself is very small. There are a few tables around the edge and a couple of desks with walls in the middle. Unlike the Divinity Faculty, these are quite high thus avoiding awkward library eye contact.

Work space bubble

It was quite busy given its size. By quarter to twelve, there was someone working at every table. Philosophers are perhaps more studious than other subjects give them credit for. 

The view down the whole length of the library

It was bright and airy, although this might have been partly to do with the sunny weather. Nevertheless, combined with the small size, this gave the Casimir Lewy library a friendly and pleasant atmosphere.

...and the width

Excitingly enough, I was the first person to take out this book

(9) The Haddon Library (Arch and Anth)

I took advantage of a cancelled lecture to sneak 3 hours of library time into my day.

In my third library away from the Sidgwick site, I am, once again, sticking with relatively 'safe' arts type subjects. The Haddon Library serves the Archaeology and Anthropology course (now known as HSPS) and has a convenient number of books about women in the Middle East.

I imagine this would look better without the scaffolding

Scary door

Just in case you get lost

After ascending an imposing stone staircase and registering for borrowing rights (didn't even have to fill in a paper form here - pretty decent) I was immediately impressed by the library itself. Whilst the actual floor space was probably quite small, the ceiling was very high and the book shelves were made of solid wood. There were balconies are each end with a selection of old books, adding to the 'traditional library' feel.

Solid effort

A mere 8 pages into my book I very nearly fell asleep. It seems that three 5am starts in row, a warm room and an abstract discussion on poststructuralist criticisms of modernity do that to a person. 

Whilst there were some very large windows, the miserable weather made it gloomy anyway, but I don't think it would be fair to blame the Haddon Library for this.

Windows so high that my phone can't handle them

Nice arches

It was reasonably warm in there, not overwhelmingly so as in the FAMES library, but warm enough that I wasn't tempted to put by coat back on (as I have experience in the Seeley once or twice)

A very old, but still relevant note

The bookcases are huge too

Overall, a traditional library with comfy chairs, large desks and massive bookshelves. A nice place to work (if you can keep yourself awake, which I sadly couldn't)