I am 100% confident that I have found the best library on campus.  A banal quest, you say?  I think not.  For not all Ohio State libraries were created equal, and not all libraries afford a humble student like me the same rights to peace, quiet, and the pursuit of knowledge.

While some fortunate souls can focus on their material through a Barnum and Bailey show, I require (among other things) a quite place to study.  As I quickly learned, a dorm room or apartment bedroom does not suffice – too noisy, too many distractions, the chair is uncomfortable, the desk is too high, et al.  …and thus began my quest for THE study spot. 

I tried various libraries, coffee shops (caffeine is a plus), earplugs, outdoor locales, and tens of thousands of other places.  I even tried not studying.  For one reason or another, none were sufficient.  Then I learned of the fabled library in my quest; it is a place so quiet that students are thrown out for audible breathing and a place so rich in wisdom that Athena herself is often seen there.  It is a tangible place so phantasmagorical that any decent moral code prevents the disclosure of its location.  

Although I found this unicorn of a library freshmen year, I foolishly wasted years searching for somewhere better.  After attempting to study at SEL (that’s Science and Engineering Library in OSU-speak) yesterday, I am convinced.  SEL is the anti-library; students use it for everything from group work to techno raves, and the anti-library’s only marginal benefit is the 24-hour access.  

So, friends in study, my suggestion is this: do not be discouraged if your first library experience was disappointing.  Keep searching, for the ideal library is out there, and you will be rewarded when you find her.