Dark, brooding, handsome. Nerdy, studious, social. Reliable, soft-spoken, resourceful. No, these aren’t the descriptions of my last three situationships. They’re the three buildings Northwestern students spend more time in than on dates themselves: Deering Library, Mudd Library and Main Library.
But which one reigns supreme? It’s a point of contention among students, so we took to the masses to see which libraries Wildcats would kiss, marry and kill. The results may shock you.
Case for Deering Library
After taking some time to work on itself last year, Deering is back and better than ever. With ivy streaming down its exterior and vaulted ceilings in the interior, Deering is the subject of infinite Instagram stories, and with good reason: It is objectively beautiful. 38% of polled students said they’d marry Deering, while half said they’d kiss it. (Only 12% opted for the kill, the lowest figure of any library.)
Though you can’t speak or move your chair in Deering’s main study hall without getting a dirty look from the person next to you, the stained glass windows are conducive to a good evening lock-in.
Case for Mudd Library
The appeal of Mudd, other than its modern architecture, lies in its 24/7 hours of operation. Even in the wee hours of the morning, you can walk in and spy on chemistry majors stressing over labs or McCormick students agonizing over their Design Thinking & Communication (DTC) groups. It’s chatty (sometimes), but these conversations might just be trauma bonding sessions.
Still, the library is convenient for North Campus residents who don’t want to make the trek down south to the other libraries.
“I’m [at Mudd] constantly,” McCormick first-year Elliott Yoder says. “It’s just old and reliable, so I’m going to have to marry it.”
Case for Main Library
Yoder’s opinion is in the minority, however. Of survey respondents, 53% said they’d kill Mudd, 25% went for the non-committal kiss, and the remaining 22% — most of them in McCormick or North Campus residents — would marry it.
As the largest library on campus, Main is everything, everywhere, all at once. That book you need for your political science research? Probably tucked in the back corner of the fourth floor north wing. What about the specialty latte you’ve been craving? Check Cafe Bergson at the plaza level. Want to eavesdrop on your first-year situationship? InfoComms.
Bigger isn’t always better, though, and Northwestern students were pretty divided on Main. 25% went for the kiss, 34% for the kill and 41% met Main at the altar.
McCormick fourth-year Vicky Laguerre, who works at Main Library’s circulation desk, thinks people don’t know what they’re missing.
“Main is so versatile,” she says. “The things you can check out are a resource that people don’t use often. People who might not have iPads might not even realize that you can check them out here. You can check out chargers and markers. The circulation desk is really cool and something you can’t get at any other library.”
Verdict
In NBN’s professional opinion, there’s no need to settle. Whether it’s for Deering’s aesthetic, Mudd’s reliability or Main’s resourcefulness, Wildcats can rotate freely amongst their library loves. And if none of those sound appealing, there’s always Norris.
Print design by Sabeen Shariff.