(8) The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Library

I've been working in Caius library for most of last week, partly due to commitments that meant I couldn't get to any interesting faculty libraries within their opening hours (namely training, classes, lectures, lunch and laundry)

However, today I found myself in the slightly uncomfortable situation of having an impending essay deadline and not much of an essay, so clearly it was time to ensconce myself in a (relatively) distraction-free library while trying to make sense of the pages of notes that I had accumulated over the last week.

I got to the library at 9:05. It's a small, nondescript block at the edge of the Sidgwick site.

Little bit boring

This is pretty cool

The usual combination of friendly and inviting signs. 

There's an interesting layout, with a rectangular central well in the middle surrounded by bookshelves, classified according to which area of the Middle East or Asia they refer to. 

Again? Why can't I just keep my large coat with me? 

By 11, I had reached the psychologically important halfway marker of 1250 words - always a good sign - so I took a little break and went for a stroll round the library with my totally-not-obvious phone.

All by myself

A major point about this library is that it's very warm. After my experiences with loss of circulation in the Whipple Library, this is initially a welcome discovery. After one hour of frantic typing, it's not so much. It feels stuffy more than anything. It didn't help that I started feeling hungry from approximately 10:40 onwards. I know that feeling ill from hunger is a thing - but less than three hours after a big bowl of porridge with a banana and an apple?

Nice little secluded table 

There were a few other people there, but not that many. In the central well there were five tables of eight seats, of which only two seats were taken the entire morning. I don't even want to consider how horribly stuffy it would get if it was at full capacity. It did start to fill up from midday onwards, presumably as lectures finished and/or people got out of bed.

Pretty standard bookshelves

I spent quite a lot of time blankly flipping through my notes, contemplating the nature of modern day international relations, wondering if Britain ought to be paying the rest of the world compensation, wondering if we ought to interpret foreign aid as our way of saying 'sorry', thinking about Zionism, Hamas and the role of religion... and then realising that none of these bore any direct relevance to the essay question that I was trying to answer. 

Looking across the well

All in all, I'm a big fan of the AMES library. It may be the worst course in Cambridge (according to the National Student Survey) but their library has a nice layout, plenty of desks to chose from, comfy chairs and the odd pot plant to make you feel at home. A hidden gem of the Sidgwick site, if only they'd turn the heating down a tad...

(7) The Marshall Library of Economics

The main thing about the Economics library is that it's quite boring. On a site full of eccentricities such as the History Faculty, or modern state-of-the-art like structures as the Law Faculty, the standout feature of this library is that it doesn't have a standout feature, perhaps other than an inventive library bin outside.

At least it looks nice in the sun

Bit dull

A bin for your library books. Thoughtful.

When I first got to the library it was really rather busy. I found myself a seat near a window at the back of the first floor. It seems that economists are a hard working lot - although I was surprised when, at 3 o'clock, the girl working opposite me shut her laptop, closed her books and proceeded to have a 20 minute nap on the desk. It was a Friday afternoon.

There's even a display cabinet about book defacement

It was a surprisingly large library, with two main floors for working on and what appeared to be a large amount of extra storage space ('staff only' unfortunately, so I couldn't explore). 

Look at all that beautiful concrete

There was a good amount of sunlight coming through, even though all the windows had blinds, but this made for a comforting, warm atmosphere - not something you can always get in a library.

Getting late

Yet another view 

These were the kind of books that I expected to be reading when I applied for a history degree. 

(6) Whipple Library (History and Philosophy of Science)

Today's library of choice is the Whipple Library, which sounds like a kind of ice cream. It's located along Free School Lane, behind some imposing wooden doors that falsely claim that it's the laboratory of physical chemistry. This is about as close as I've been to a lab in the two years and four months I've been at Cambridge.

What is this thing called Science?

After making my way through a maze-like series of staircases going up, down, left and right. I finally found the library itself.

Maybe it's just around this corner?

Are we nearly there yet?

The Whipple library also operates a system of leaving bags behind when you enter the library, only they provide lockers rather than the inadequate shelving space of the divinity faculty library.

Sensible 

Once inside I found myself a seat closest to a radiator on the lowest floor (it's really very cold at the moment). The library is quite small, but it's set over a few levels with gaps in the floor/ceiling and so feels pretty open.   

Nice

Despite the pleasant working conditions, the fact that I had eights hours sleep last night and my overwhelming love for writing essays (one of these three may not be quite as true as the others) by 11 o'clock I found myself starting to doze, so I went for a stroll around the library to wake myself up. 

Lovely

On my walk I discovered a few interesting objects, such as a plastic model of human skin and a bizarre contraption that might have something to do with light. 

I don't know what this is

The library was surprisingly busy - possibly because the students taking HPS are accustomed to the long working hours of a natsci or medic and have carried this work ethic over to this module, even if it is more 'arts'. I didn't manage to get any photos of the upper floors of the library because there were too many people looking studious and it would have been weird.

The upper floors were airy, with a tall white ceiling, large windows, and well-spaced out desks.

All in all, a really good library. It would have been nice to have stayed longer but a) despite my strategic location next to a radiator I had lost circulation in all but three of my toes, and b) I was really hungry. Nonetheless, the Whipple Library was a great place to spend a productive and not entirely unpleasant four and a half hours on a Monday morning.

(5) The Divinity Faculty Library

For my first library day of 2015, I'm visiting the divinity faculty library, the strange UFO-like building that looks as though it landed on the edge of the Sidgwick site by accident and figured that it might as well stay there.

Theologians commission futuristic building so no one can accuse them of studying an obsolete subject? 

For over two years now, I've gazed at the divinity faculty from my lectures with interest. Now it's my chance to reverse this, as I chose a seat with the inspiring view of the back of the history faculty.

See all those gullible history students who still believe that lectures are useful

The library has a 'no bags' rule and requests that everyone leaves their bags and coats on a shelf by the entrance, which seems a little bit eccentric, but I didn't want to make a fuss, despite the inconvenient fact that there were far more bags than shelves

Strange...

Inside, it's very modern and circular. A small ring of computers is surrounded by a medium sized ring of desks, which in turn is encompassed by a large ring of bookshelves in a rather aesthetically pleasing manner, which a few more desks dotted behind the bookshelves.

These lamps were probably the best I've encountered

I took a spot on one of the desks around the edge. They're spacious, clean, come with an exciting and flexible lamp, and even have a helpful translucent screen up the middle so there's no need to get distracted by whoever happens to be sitting opposite you. Unfortunately the screen isn't quite high enough to prevent awkward eye contact from occurring every so often. Best just to keep your head in a book...

Looking inwards towards the central ring

10/10 for the desks and lamps

In conclusion:
Nice layout, convenient location, lovely desks, but why can't we just take our bags to our desks with us?

(4) The English Faculty Library

It's a beautiful winter's morning, the last day of week eight and I'm back to the Sidgwick site for a trip to the English library, another of the history faculty's neighbours.

Everything's so square and rectangular

To be blunt, the English faculty looks like it's made out of lego. It's essentially a big orangey rectangle, which stands out among the architects playground of the Sidgwick Site purely for it's apparent lack of imagination.

Lego?

It was only when I entered that I realised just how uncultured my comments were. Apparently, it won the '2005 building of the year' competition. I can only wonder what the other entries were...

I think this might be serious, but it seems a bit sarcastic.

The reception had festive decorations up, and the staff were very friendly. I immediately warm to any library that has fairy lights and Christmas trees.

Pretty fairy lights!

Most importantly, there are beanbags in the English library. Actual beanbags. Brilliant. I didn't sit on them because I was already nodding at a desk and lying on a beanbag would have had disastrous consequences for my work rate.

Real beanbags, in a university library

This library had gone for practical yet stylish white rectangular shelves.

There's even a helpful stepladder in case you want a book from a high shelf

 I was a little bit surprised by how small the library seemed to be. This might have been partly due to the layout. There were not vast rows of desks, but rather a few groups of tables either side of the bookshelves, with smaller individual desks upstairs. It somehow manages to be both cosy and airy at the same time. 

Artwork on the walls, airy desk spaces

9/10 - Nice desks, friendly librarians and BEANBAGS

Finally, a legal case for nominative determinism

(3) The Social and Political Sciences Library

I've been a little bit under the weather recently and have spent a lot of the last week in bed, rather than exploring the world of libraries, but I'm feeling better now, so it's time for library number 3, in which I leave the Sidgwick Site comfort zone, and branch out to see what else Cambridge has to offer. The subject matter, on the other hand, is still reassuringly familiar.

Cambridge is pretty 

A world away from the Sidgewick site

This unassuming little library tucked away in Free School Lane is a far cry from the open spaces of the History and Law libraries. It caters for a smaller number of students and consequently doesn't have as much desk space, although there are still plenty of books.

About as modest as any library gets

Slightly strange hole in the floor, because why not

I was signed up for borrowing rights by one of the friendliest, most enthusiastic librarians I have yet encountered in Cambridge. You can borrow books for four days and renew them up to four times. After being subject to the totalitarian regime of the Seeley for two and bit years, this is a revelation. They've also marked their new books with a special sticky label so they can check whether or not students have been making notes in them.

So shiny, so new

On the other hand, I do have to question their definition of 'new' in some cases:

Not that shiny

A 'new' book that's been in the library since before I started secondary school. I feel quite young now.

It feels a bit like a school library, in that it's small with standard bookshelves, wooden tables and the generic bluey-grey carpet, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

There did seem to be an alarming number of chains hanging off the ceiling which I was initially confused by, until I realised that they enabled the lights to be closer to the bookshelves - a thoughtful addition.

Birds eye view of an awful lot of bookshelves

However, all was not well. At approximately 3pm a couple of the librarians started talking loudly downstairs. I can only assume that they had a very good reason for their conversation, for example, if someone was in a life or death situation. I can't see any other decent excuse for that level of spoken noise inside a library. 

I then discovered that there was a toilet and a water fountain inside the library itself and suddenly the sins of the talkative librarians were forgotten. Sometimes, having to walk down 80 steps to get to a water fountain/toilets just isn't appreciated (yes, caius library, I'm looking at you). Thanks to the brilliant layout of the SPS library, hydrating while you work has never been easier.

A WATER FOUNTAIN. IN A LIBRARY. GENIUS.

Ten minutes before closing time, dedication

8/10 - friendly library, comfy seats, conveniently located facilities, sensible rules to stop people writing in books, but let down by a very relaxed attitude towards chatting...

Today's reading sees the return of J. G. A. Pocock and his irritating overuse of 'scare quotes'

(2) The Squire Law Library

For the second library of this endeavor, I went next door to the law faculty. I've been in the building before, as we sometimes need to have lectures in the basement. The history faculty, in all their infinite wisdom, did not commission a building with any rooms large enough to fit more than 60 or so historians at a time. There are about 200 in a year, so this can present some logistical problems (not too many, though, because historians are renowned for their relaxed approach to lecture attendance)

Anyway, back to the law library:

The start of a very small adventure

The Squire Law Library is a multi-floored, disconcertingly modern beast. Integrated into the law faculty, it reaches dizzying heights, looking down over all of the Sidgewick site, so that prospective lawyers can get accustomed to being richer and more important than everyone else, or something like that.

Looking down at the slightly inadequate history faculty 

Stairway to books about international law

Once you make it the top of the many stairs (the second floor desks are exclusively for the use of phd students) the views are impressive. Looking out to the town centre, you can catch a glimpse of the spires of Kings College chapel. Meanwhile, I can also see into the corridor that I lived in for first year, which adds a nice little dose of nostalgia to today's library session.

Treetops and a beautiful winter sky 

Long desks, tall bookshelves

The library is sectioned off from the rest of the building by large glass panels, probably to stop noise travelling. There's a rather eerie silence that's occasionally broken by someone rustling five desks away, or on the odd occasion, a voice from a few floors below. Sound carries easily within blocked off section. Even without the little bit of a draft that I managed to position myself next to, there's something rather cold about this library.

I'm not a massive fan of the chairs either.

Not one of my favourite chairs 

Being law-abiding

As far as the books are concerned, a lot of them don't seem to be borrowable. From what I understand, the Squire Law Library is some kind of subsidary of the UL and is designed to be a reference only library, which is great because it means you won't get fined.

A book that I sadly could not borrow

Hardworking lawyers

It stays open until 9, which is pretty late as far as subject specific libraries go. However, I decided that having dinner was more important that the novelty of staying until closing time, so left just before 6. It was getting quite chilly in there. 

Festive looking tree

3/10 for comfort, friendliness and ease of locating books
9/10 for a cold clinical atmosphere in which you're almost certain to get some work done. 

Thought for the day, courtesy of Rousseau