The libraries on the University of Alabama campus each have a variety of patrons, both from within colleges and from other majors.

Rodgers Library primarily serves science and engineering students, McLure Library works with education students, and Gorgas Library is a sort of catch-all for various majors. Katherine Kosich, a senior majoring in English, is a frequent patron of Gorgas and spends a great deal of time at what she calls the “versatile” library.

“I’ve held short meetings for conferences in Java City, my friends and I will group sob over all-nighters by the elevators, and I’ve attended book-stitching events in the private rooms on the second floor,” she said.

She said she finds a certain aura in the history of Gorgas and its comparatively old-timey feel.

“It’s comfortable because I can sit and do my work privately in public and stop and chat with friends when I need a break,” Kosich said. “I’ve regularly returned to Gorgas because of its history.”

To others, however, modernity is appreciated. William Hampton, a freshman majoring in electrical engineering, said he prefers the aesthetics of Rodgers Library to those of Gorgas.

“I’ve spent some time in Gorgas, too, but I like [Rodgers] a lot better,” Hampton said. “Gorgas has more of an old-school feel to it, even though it has the same technology for the most part. It’s got brighter colors, but it’s also less professional–looking in a lot of places. Particularly, the second floor looks very ’80s, whereas [Rodgers] looks very, very modern, because it is. [Rodgers] also has more of an upbeat feel to me.”

Hampton said she spends eight to 10 hours a week working on various projects, so being comfortable in a library is important for him.

“[Rodgers] is a pretty good place to come to just hang out,” he said. “If I’ve got math or engineering homework, this is the place to work on it. It’s also good if you want to just mess around with computers. The Wi-Fi reception is really good here.”

Hampton said he finds Rodgers Library to be particularly hospitable to all-night sessions on homework and group projects.

“I spent the night here once working on an all-night project. There were people over at the computers from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m., just constantly,” Hampton said. “And the windows are amazing. I spent the night on the couch here a few times, crashing by that window. You can just stare out. It’s beautiful.”

Group studies, though, are more common for education students, and McLure Library serves as a hub for many of their meetings. McLure head librarian Benita Strnad said she finds it interesting how the trend of libraries is for them to serve as more of community centers than warehouses of books. Strnad said she feels that McLure caters to both of these needs of the collegiate visitor.

“The area in the basement is a collaborative space. If you’ll notice there as you leave, on the table, there’s a sign that says ‘This is not a quiet study space.’ We make no attempt to make people not talk down here,” Strnad said. “You can talk. You can work in groups. This makes it a little bit different from what people think when they think ‘library.’”

A difference between McLure Library and other libraries on campus is that McLure has a substantial collection of contemporary, popular novels like a public library.

“We’ve got ‘Harry Potter’ books. We’ve got graphic novels. We also have a high loss rate, mostly because of that,” Strnad said. “I always tell people that people steal books for two reasons: They love the book and want to keep it forever, or they hate the book and want to keep you from reading it.”

As one of the more visible libraries from the main artery on campus, McLure Library can sometimes be the victim of misconceptions about the University’s libraries.

“We are in a unique place here, with this building,” Strnad said. “We are right here on University Boulevard, so two things happen. Either students don’t know that there are any other libraries on campus than Gorgas, or they think this is the only library on campus and have never heard of Gorgas. They’re driving down the boulevard and see our sign says ‘Library’ on it and think, ‘Oh, there it is.’”