Lamont Library is Where It’s At

Many whiners like to bemoan the lack of a student center on campus. These people either are blind or have recently lost swipe card access to Lamont library—in recent weeks, oh so much more than a place to skim your sourcebook before section.

“Lamont is definitely the closest thing this campus has to a student center,” explains stalwart Trevor J. Walsh ’06. “It’s got all the amenities you’d expect from a common social space—cell-phone yelling, VIP bathrooms, and the ability to drink beverages out of properly sealed containers.”

Defne C. Ozgediz ’06, who has worked the Circulation desk for three years, attributes the changing dynamic to three major factors: the facebook.com, improved wireless access, and the opening of Dunkin’ Donuts. “Lamont seems a lot more social and generally a lot less conducive to studying than it was two years ago,” says Ozgediz. “There’s a lot for you to do with your laptop and a 24-ounce coffee that doesn’t even remotely relate to studying.”

Indeed, where else on campus can you view music videos using state-of-the-art headphones (Language Resource Center), watch a wide selection of excellent films (Morse Collection), and then just make out for hours (either of the above)? The computer kiosk areas alone see a high volume of power moves made each day, such as when people you don’t know catch you looking at their facebook profile and then you tell them, “You’re even more beautiful in person.”

With 24-hour access beginning next year and rumors of a café, one could hypothetically forego housing and actually live in Lamont, accruing fringe benefits like comfortable chairs and an employee whose job description seems to include reading tabloids attached to bamboo sticks and wearing shorts.

Boredom would not be a problem. The walls tell many tales, mostly because they are literally lined with books.

In the sage words of Teddy B. Bressman ’06, who uses Lamont laptops to play online poker and write in his blog, “Lamont is the only place on campus where you leave feeling happy every time. If I could change one thing about Lamont, it would be… nothing.”