A library is, by definition, a collection of materials which people can refer to and borrow. The University of Oregon’s libraries, however, are much more than this. Across the UO’s six library locations, there is something for everyone. In fact, I’m willing to bet there are several things for most people.
Let’s start with the Knight Library. Located on campus’ western edge, this is the flagship location of the UO library network. Knight Library has four floors and is chalk full of resources to help students, faculty, staff, community members and public patrons investigate any number of subjects. This main location houses the bulk of the UO Library’s physical collection. There are thousands of books, and that is just one realm of items in the collection. There are also CDs, DVDs, vinyl LPs, government documents, maps, microforms, music and newspapers, to name just a few of the many categories Knight Library contains.
I often find myself on the second floor, browsing the popular reading collection or looking through recent magazine issues. Recently, I’ve also been eyeing the library’s physical music collection, which conveniently includes much of Joni Mitchell and Neil Young’s respective catalogs.
The brick and mortar collections are just the beginning of what the UO Libraries grant access to. There is also the Interlibrary Loan system, which allows UO students to check out books hosted at other schools, the Endnote Web citation manager and the librarian curated Research Guides, which are especially useful for specific classwork. There are thousands of resources available through the libraries here at UO, even while those resources exist online or at other sites.
The Knight Library is the meat and potatoes of the collection, though the other library locations are not to be overlooked. The Design Library, with its entrance on the second floor of Lawrence Hall, is nothing short of a serene oasis of information on all things art and architecture. I enjoy sitting in the Design Library’s periodical room, just off the main space.
The John E. Jaqua Law Library, in the law school building on Agate Street, is the hidden gem of the Eugene campus libraries. It is significantly quieter than the other locations and has a very East-Coast-academic feel. On the first floor of the Law Library, the second floor of the building, there are long tables flanked by Aeron chairs — the ergonomically divine corporate world standard. There are also absolutely voluptuous leather armchairs along the perimeter of the space, which are just plain incredible. Or, if you want to work while standing, the rows of low shelves of law volumes on the north end of the work nicely, as they’re at a good height to rest your laptop on.
In regards to STEM-specific libraries, there are the Mathematics Library and the Price Science Commons and Research Library. The former is on the second floor of Fenton Hall, and the latter is beneath Willamette, Klamath, Cascade and Onyx Halls. It might be helpful to note the Math Library offers homework help both in person and on Zoom — hours can be found on the UO Libraries website. The Science Library also has the DeArmond MakerSpace, which the UO Libraries website describes as “a DIY space for use by University of Oregon students, staff and faculty from any department.” There are a few steps — an orientation and safety procedure –– one must complete before being able to access the numerous state-of-the-art tools, including a laser cutter, laser scanners, 3D printers and routers, among many others.
The sixth location is the Portland Library and Learning Commons in the historical White Stag Block building on Couch Street. Even though this location is two hours north, it can be quite convenient for UO students who need to get some work done while in Portland for the weekend, for instance. After all, with a system of libraries this beneficent, the learning truly never stops.
