Your midterm is in 24 hours and you haven’t studied. Panic swells as the weight of unread chapters, unwatched lectures, and unreviewed notes begins to sink in. Having put off your preparation for weeks, you now exemplify the procrastination and present bias described to you in Ec10. David Laibson was right. Worse, the once comforting hum of your dorm room suddenly feels stifling, every distraction amplified by your panicked brain. It’s time to lock in, but where?
Many Harvard students regularly seek scholarly refuge in one of Harvard’s 28 libraries on campus. The array of options can sometimes feel overwhelming, but not to fear—your favorite bright-eyed first-years are here, ready to help you optimize your caffeine-fueled cramming journey.
Lamont:
Lamont Library sits atop a hill that represents its status to academic try-hards: a beacon of peace and silence with the late-night company of fellow overachievers. Academic weapons populate the reading room and upper floors 24 hours a day (except for Friday and Saturday nights, when the library closes early; this can sometimes present issues when you feel like being lame and studious on the weekends). When students are ejected from other libraries as they close for the evening, the “Lamonsters” come out to play, settling in and taking over the library’s uncozy wooden desks and tables for the night. But even among non-regulars, sometimes it’s just a Lamont kind of night, and that’s okay.
Widener:
Arguably the most iconic and beautiful library on campus, Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library houses an impressive 3.5 million books, neatly shelved across its vast 57 miles of shelf space. This architectural gem offers a wide-variety of inspiring study spaces: literally just the Loker Reading Room. The air is so thick with intellect here that it’s almost suffocating. Students go to the reading room to be hissed at when they cough, glared at when they sneeze, and scrutinized on Sidechat when they drop a pencil.
Yet, the students who grace the library—normally with oversized glasses and purposely tousled hair—do not come just to study. They arrive to make sure everyone knows they’re spending their hours in this fortress of knowledge. If that sounds like you, Widener might just become your scholarly sanctuary.
Cabot:
Barring the occasional mysterious sophomore, Cabot Science Library is a magnet for excited first-years ready to make friends. Open 24 hours during the week, the library has a variety of innovative, comfy spaces such as collaborative study rooms, chat booths, and media studios. Indeed, Cabot Science Library becomes a home-away-from-home for enthusiastic first-year students, who typically invade the library throughout all hours of the day. It’s a hub for people who pretend to work on p-sets, but are actually just there to socialize. 10am? There is a frosh in there talking at maximum volume while friends nod emphatically, sipping on lattes from Clover. 10pm? Frosh fill the library with Lucky Charms from Brain Break as they race to complete assignments with deadlines just a few hours away.
Law School:
If you study at the Law School Library, you are Elle Woods. And you will get Professor Callahan’s internship and successfully defend Brooke Windham and break barriers and win at life. This may be the spot for you if your goal is to see no one you know and absorb some legal knowledge through osmosis.
Working in one of the library’s Collaboration Zones, you might find yourself a witness to hushed debates on corporate takeovers and constitutional dilemmas. If you find watching law students converse fluently in the esoteric language of torts and statutes is not conducive to getting work done, the quiet areas of the library may be more your vibe. That way, you can live out your corporate law fantasy without having to deal with the stress and pressure of actual legal discussion.
Others:
Not visiting any of the libraries we’ve mentioned so far? That can only mean you frequent lesser-known libraries like Houghton, Fung, or Loeb. Perhaps the allure of Houghton’s extensive performing arts archives, Fung’s post-WWII Soviet photographs, or Loeb’s hidden treasure trove of composers’ manuscripts draw you in. But let’s be honest, it’s not merely the fascinating collections that captivate you, it’s the fact that absolutely no one else on campus even knows these libraries exist. You must not be like the other girls. You are niche and different and entirely unique. Your peculiar choice of reading nook sets you apart from the mundane masses. Your preference for the obscure libraries isn’t just about the books; it’s about wearing your individuality like a badge of honor, because standing out in a crowd makes you feel better about yourself.
Your choice of library isn’t just about where you study; it’s a form of self-expression, a silent proclamation of who you are. Whether you’re a mainstream Lamonster or a Houghton hermit speaks volumes (pun intended) about the kind of student persona you’ve carved out for yourself. Choose wisely, Harvard students. Happy midterms.
Han Nguyen ’27 (hannguyen@college.harvard.edu) only does work in her dorm room.Lucas Cohen-d’Arbeloff ’27 (lcohendarbeloff@college.harvard.edu) is a Cabot skeptic.