The American Library: An Alternative View

by Carmel Glumac

I looked up from staring at my dynamics book, which was open to plane kinematics of rigid bodies. I took the ear buds out of my ears and stared out the window, past the trees, the dorms, the apartments, to the local football arena. What a view here on the 8th floor of the MD Anderson Library at the University of Houston! It’s finals week and there are significantly more students than usual, some whispering in groups, some punching numbers into their calculators, and others staring out the window like me, taking in and processing that latest bit of information to be used on that upcoming test. However, there is so much more to this library than study carrels, books from the early 1900s, and a beautiful view. American libraries today contain a wealth of resources that any student is able to access and take advantage of.

The computer is the center force of universities everywhere. You write papers, take quizzes, obtain notes, and even socialize on it, and the library responds with a massive computer lab. There are even librarians for each college on campus that specialize in helping students research that specific field. Librarians that can help guide you to that jewel of information that will help you begin a research paper, or jump start one that lacks clarity and depth. Large study areas and rooms equipped with computers and chalkboards foster study groups in which students bounce valuable information off each other, essentially teaching and learning from one another. To top it off, the library shows it fun side with pancake breakfasts, pumpkin carving contests, and movie nights, putting the “break” into study break.

American libraries such as the MD Anderson Library, are more than beneficial to the average college student, they are essential. Many individuals look at libraries as only a place of research; however, when you walk into this library, and many others like it, you can see that there is so much more than research. There is an energetic pulse that emanates from it as students study, learn, and socialize. What a view!