What Lies Above

So, I guess I should say I'm seeking my degree in print journalism. Here's my feature story I wrote for my print newsgathering and editing class. Comments welcome!

------------------ What Lies Above by Kimberely Noble ------------------

At the center of the sprawling grounds of LSU’s busy campus exists a location where one can find an alcove of complete quiet, solitude and focus from the bustling campus. The location is not secret, but many in the nearly 30,000 student population walk beneath it unknowingly as they scurry below to grab a hot latte mocha from CC’s Coffee House or as they rush to the nearest available computer to update their Facebook status. But if students took a moment to climb the stairs or to ride the elevator to the top of Middleton Library, they would find that what lies above is a place of refuge from the noise, from the crowds and from swerving bikers. That place is the fourth floor.

Some students have described the fourth floor of Middleton as being “creepy.” And I agree that a slight eeriness was felt, especially at night, due to little or no traffic flowing through the numerous shelves that are packed with books and scientific journals, such as the “Japanese Journal of Applied Physics Part I Regular Papers, Short Notes & Review Papers.” But once its' visitors acclimate to the eeriness, they would find that there are several places and resources on the fourth floor that could be useful to them.

For instance, graduate students and faculty can take advantage of the study carrels. The carrel is a rented, personal nook of space in the library designed for graduate students who are engaged in research that may require them to consult numerous books over an extended period of time. Graduate students can rent a carrel for an entire semester and faculty can rent it for an entire academic year. And the carrel comes with some awesome perks. For instance, the carrel is fitted with electrical outlets, a lamp and a door that can be locked. However, the carrel does have a few rules. For example, just because personal outlets are available does not mean that the renter can plug in a portable stove and flip a few burgers. Usage has to be related to actual graduate work, not to hunger pangs.

The fourth floor also houses practice presentation rooms and group collaboration rooms. Many of the rooms have computers and television screens to help simulate a presentation. And most of the rooms can be rented for several hours at a time.

But what about using the library as, I dunno, say a place to check out books? While I was walking through the rows of books on the fourth floor, I noticed few students scattered at cubicles studying, but none were looking through the shelves.

Students are encouraged to use all resources and check out books, Debbie Atchison said, who works in Middleton’s collections management. Atchison was the only person I encountered while I was roaming the shelves of books. She was updating barcodes on old books. We are in a time where “students are using the library, but in a different way than when I was in school,” Atchison said. Most of them use the library to study or to use the computers, she said. Atchison confirmed that traffic through the stacks of books is very low, but that most students use the fourth floor as a quiet place to study.

In fact, study rooms are very popular among students. According to Jason Juneau, supervisor of the fourth floor stacks, students make about 26 reservations on an average day for a study room. And usually two to five students accompany each reservation, which means that somewhere between 52 and 130 students a day occupy study rooms, Juneau said.

Another great convenience visitors will find on the fourth floor is the ease of getting a stall in the restroom. I visited the fourth floor on five occasions to explore it and the restroom was no exception. Three of the times I entered the restroom it was empty. The other two times I entered, there was either one or two students in it. That is a stark contrast to the restrooms on the first floor where one generally has to wait in a short line.

Although the rows of books were empty when I ventured through the fourth floor shelves, Mitch Fontenot, who works in reference on the first floor, said he believes that the printed book will always be a necessity. Middleton purchases a hefty selection of print books each year and continues to buy more electronic books, he said. Fontenot also said that circulation statistics over the years consistently increases, which means that books are being checked out. That could be due to phantom students moving through the shelves making selections. Or it could also be due to the fact that Middleton is open to the public and many of its patrons extend past students and faculty.

I have found that my pattern to Middleton has changed. Instead of visiting Middleton for a quick detour between classes to grab a mango smoothie from CC’s, I now venture to what lies above. I have been able to study and accomplish a lot of tasks in uninterrupted silence. I have also been able to take a great nap on the fourth floor between classes. But most of all, I believe I have found a restroom in the center of campus that I can use without having to wait in line. And for me, that is worth the travel to the fourth floor.