As we all know, library plays an important role in campus life and is an important symbol of the university. In this article, I will introduce one of libraries in the Ohio State University—the Thompson Library.
History
The full name of Thompson Library, is The William Oxley Thompson Library, still remains the biggest library in Ohio State university nowadays. The Thompson
Original west facade of library in 1951(Source from https://en.m.wikipedia .org/wiki /William_Oxley_Thompson_Memorial_Library)
Library was originally built in 1913 and went through three times of enlargement, which were in 1951, 1977, and 2009. Due to a renovation, the Thompson Library now located in the center of the whole campus showing us his aesthetic style with a combination of both modern and traditional elements. (Source from: https://u.osu.edu/explorecolumbus/featured-columbus-sites/osu-sites/thompson-library/)
Location and Open time
The east facade of library in 2009(Source from https://en.m.wikipedia .org/wiki /William_Oxley_Thompson_Memorial_Library)
The Thompson Library is located in 1858 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210. It opens from 7:30 to 24:00 from Monday to Thursday, 7:30-22:00 in Friday, 8:00-22:00 in Saturday and 11:00-24:00 in Sunday. The library is not just open for students of the university but also to public.
Detailed introduction
Thompson Library is of 11 floors high with multiple facilities which provide different services to all people who want to study here.
Firstly, there is a Berry Cafe located in the south-western corner of the ground floor which provide varies of beverages and snacks for people who need some rest. Near the Cafe, there is an information desk for you to consult with librarians if you have any questions. Also, there are many information desk in different floors, and you can ask for their help if you have problems.
As we all know, books play an important role in library. In the Thompson library, books are distributed from the second floor to tenth floor. You can see the stacks when you come in from west gate due to the big glass wall.
The big glass window in the library(Taken by TianYu)
The category of books is very abundant—history, literature, biology, dance, even books from different country using local language. If you want to read books, you can find it by yourself without telling the librarians. However, if you want to borrow them, you must go to information desk to go through the borrow procedure. To be specific, if you want to read books, you need to borrow and return books with your buckid card from the information desk, too. As it is a regulation for borrowing, the longest period for you to keep the books is about two weeks.
Also, in the Thompson Library, there are lots of study space in different floors—open study spaces and study rooms. For study rooms, students can reserve them easily online on https://library.osu.edu/locations/thompson by themselves. It provides students with a good place for group discussion or some other teamwork.
(Source from: http://mairaslibraryblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/ohio-state-university-thompson-library.html)
For example, in the second floor, there are many huge reading and study rooms, the buckeye reading room and the grand reading room are traditional rooms with high ceilings and large windows, which provides a good and comfortable atmosphere for people to quiet down to study; In the 11th floor, apart from some tables for individual students who do not want be interrupted to study, one thing I really recommend is the comfortable sofas and tea tables all facing the big and tall French windows from where you can enjoy the most beautiful views of the whole campus.
If you need to work with computers, the Thompson Library is the one which suits you well. To be specific, there are more than 230 computers that only require simply your student ID and password to open.
My experience
One well constructed and located library on campus is of great help for a new student who will need a fairly long time to settle into the brand new university life. Take myself as an example. When I firstly came here, I always studied in my dormitory as I have no idea where else I can go and I still need time to get familiar with school facilities. However, my roommates usually did their things in the dormitory as well like playing computer games, chatting with friends or call on their families which obviously they have the rights to do so. But still, it became difficult for me to study intently in the dormitory. And even when there is only me in the dorm, the atmosphere there is not suitable for learning. I often wanted to do other things like playing with my mobile phone or taking a break. Two weeks after, I started to study in the Thompson library which is the nearest study place from my dormitory. In the library with an really quiet environment, people will all keep their voice down and study hard without being distracted by other things. Thus, every time I want to get some relaxation, the learning environment and the atmosphere in the library kind of force me continue. I think it is good for my study as I can avoid wasting time on things like social media.
Sources:
Library.osu.edu
Explorecolumbus of Thompson Library