The Living Library

Written by Katrin Surkan

The library gets quieter as you go down each level, but even in silence, a culture thrives. Throughout, this culture creates a special space where students leave any and all belongings on the tables just to go grab a coffee, knowing that a backpack on the table signals “I’ll be right back to work at my table!”

In “Heaven,” the top floor, students chatter, bantering across square tables and nestled desks. Homework happens here, but friendships are built, Hillsdates had, and naps taken more than anything else. The crowd that circulates this floor tends to be friendly and welcoming. The printers hum in the background.

Anyone wandering around can browse the magazines on the racks or the books on shelves. DVDs (and even VCRs!) can be rented, as well as class textbooks, markers, and chargers for three-hour use. ‘Tis the comfort floor. There is a couch in one windowed corner, while the Heritage Room boasts a fireplace and dim atmosphere. As the highest floor, Heaven is also the warmest. The so-called “Skittles” room in the back does always feel a little more studious (but also a little colder) than the rest of the floor. And every part of the space is filled with the warmth of chatter.

In “Purgatory,” the second floor, students murmur the occasional question across the tables or study intently at desks. Some like the faint smell of old books in Ludwig von Mises’ library or the private space of the study rooms, while others claim one of the group rooms and pretend to study together. Though the study rooms are divided, they are not as soundproof.

Here you find most books, including a thriving children’s section and a disproportionate number of books on pirates of the high seas. Most books for school papers can be found here as well. Whether you wonder what happened to Will in Book 11 of Ranger’s Apprentice or what personality profile Ronald Reagan had, Purgatory is the floor for you.

In “Hell,” the third and lowest floor, you can hear a pin drop. Students with blankets and warm Thermoses of coffee hunker down at desks with determination. Great Books paper to write that’s due tomorrow? Then this is the place for you! Here, students sit and pore over their work amidst shelves of reference books.

No one “lives” down here like students do on other floors. Some groups have tables staked out in Purgatory by the windows or plugs as soon as the library opens at 7:30 a.m., but there is no such possessiveness in Hell. Here are the students who can commiserate together over a scrutinous deadline. It’s also the only polite way to admonish someone to “go to hell” if your friend is struggling to focus with the distractions of the other floors.

Though I have spent many hours staked out at my favorite desktop in Heaven (I like sitting at the front, where I can see and talk to everyone), there are some mystical sides of the library I have never seen, but I have heard whispers. Where are  the Archives? How do librarians receive books from other schools when I hold a book from a different library through MelCat? Where is the library employee-only study room? Where do the other doors to the Heritage Room go? Come see the library for yourself, and perhaps you can solve these mysteries!

Katrin Surkan, ’25, has roots on the east coast but can almost always be found traveling. When not writing, reading, or chatting with someone new, she’s likely looking for a dog to pet or singing at the top of her lungs between classes with a cappuccino in hand.

Published in November 2024