Watson Library

By Andrew Rogers

Friday, April 17, 2009

Imagine walking around narrow hallways with short ceilings and rows and rows of books, a musty smell surrounding you in the dark. There’s no wonder people talk of ghosts and murder in the Watson stacks. They can be quite spooky. But the truth is the only death that occurred here was the fake death of an actor filmed for a movie scene. You are more likely to find a pair of lovers around the corner than you are to find a ghost. The stacks themselves may be eerie during parts of the day, but the rest of the library is far from it.

In fact, it’s hard to believe a place so rich in tradition could look so brand new. When you walk into this Gothic building, the elegant café to your right and the plethora of computers to your left shouts out modernity. Watson Library, named after KU’s first librarian, Carrie Watson, has been a campus hotspot for both academia and social interaction since 1924 when it first opened, but it is constantly changing. The library has added five structural editions since its opening, a recreational reading area, over 130 computers and topped it off with a nice place to get a cup of coffee

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Photo by Nora Simon

Watson Library is one of seven at the University, and primarily caters to liberals arts students.

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Photo by Nora Simon

The main floor of Watson Library has information desks, reference materials, computer stations, study tables and a commons area for students to make use of.

“The idea of a library has really changed over the past few years, and so have we,” Rebecca Smith, director of communications and advancement for KU Libraries, said. “We have librarians right now who are receiving text messages from students,” Smith added. “We are here to help students get what they need.”

And that seems to be the general consensus. Students are here from open to close, and students like Lance White, St. Louis graduate student, are here every day of the week.

“Watson is nice and quiet, Anschutz is too noisy and there are too many people,” White said.

And others like it for its resources.

Tiffany Baker, Lenexa sophomore, likes the variety, and often obscurity, of the books she can find here.

“I like Watson because it is a quiet place with good resources,” said Baker.

There are more than 1.8 million books in the stacks and the resource section has anything you would care to find, ranging from “The Bisexual Resource Guide” to “The Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations.”

Plus, if you can’t find a book, there are still the many computers that can aid your search for information.

Find information about other campus buildings here.

— — Edited by Kelsey Hayes

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