Quizzes & Puzzles Which Cornell Library Are You? You spent untold hours studying in them—but which one channels your personality? Answer eight questions and find out! 1) You have a few hours to spare on campus. What would you rather do? Visit the brain collection in Uris Hall Tour the Johnson Museum Get an ice cream at the Dairy Bar Meditate in the Botanic Gardens None 2) What book would you rather read? “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien “Cosmos” by Carl Sagan “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey None 3) Which classic Cornell course would you rather take? Intro to Wines Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds Psych 101 The First American University None 4) Which movie would you rather watch? “The Princess Bride” “Jurassic Park” “Forrest Gump” “The Exorcist” None 5) If you could earn your Cornell degree all over again, what would you prefer to study? English literature Biomedical engineering Hotel management Architecture None 6) How do you define success? Having a high net worth Getting ahead at work Maintaining meaningful relationships Leaving a lasting legacy None 7) Which Big Red student group would you rather join? Glee Club & Chorus Student Assembly Outing Club Robotics club None 8) Where would you rather curl up with a good book? On the beach By a roaring fireplace In bed In a hammock in the woods None Time’s up (Top: Photo by Sreang Hok / Cornell University.) Published September 16, 2024 Comments Cindy Fuller, Class of 1978 20 Sep, 2024 I would have pegged myself as an A.D. White person. I used to love looking at the old Cornellian yearbooks instead of studying. In reality, I spent more time as an undergrad and grad in the old Vet School Library, which was ringed with a gallery of retired profs. I do agree with preferring a real book to an electronic one. Reply Jeanne Arnold, Class of 1978 13 Oct, 2024 I’m Uris library too Cindy…❤️ Reply Randall Nixon, Class of 1978 20 Sep, 2024 I fell in love with one of my double majors — history — because of the time I spent in the AD White Room. I would study there and pick out books that weren’t assigned and the I had no time to read, but I snuck in guilty reading time anyway. Reply Karen Lesh, Class of 1997 20 Sep, 2024 This is great! I would have guessed Uris, but Kroch it is! Reply Amy Wang Manning, Class of 1990 21 Sep, 2024 I got Kroch too! Doubly appropriate as my father was a longtime Olin librarian. Reply Anthony Prisco, Class of 1995 20 Sep, 2024 Uris makes sense, when I went to the library, that was usually the one. Mann in between classes since I was in Ag. Later on I started to enjoy the law library since it was close to college town. Reply RICHARD NDAYIZIGAMIYE, Class of 2016 21 Sep, 2024 Olin Library was my jam. The Africana Center library was my home for my Masters degree. A GREAT Cornell experience overall. My second home way from home. Reply T Lord, Class of 1977 21 Sep, 2024 agreed on the AD White reading room Reply Daryl Goldgraben Smith 21 Sep, 2024 Fun! I would have answered none of the above to the choices, but in the end URIS is indeed where I spent much of my time looking out over libe slope! Reply Leila Joyner Smith, Class of 1965 24 Sep, 2024 as did most of us in those days! Reply Barbara Redden Leamer, Class of 1957 21 Sep, 2024 The Kroch is indeed interesting — had a tour at reunion once. But I spent a great part of my student time in a carrell in Uris, either in the back of the small room (then) or in the stacks. I thought I would come out with Uris for sure! Reply Pat Reilly, Class of 1978 22 Sep, 2024 A.D. White Library was my favorite place to study, especially by the window looking out over the lake, but somehow I got Kroch! Reply David Bilmes, Class of 1978 14 Oct, 2024 Same for me. The quiz must be mistaken since it seems a lot of us who loved to hang out in the A.D. White Library have been told we match up best with the Kroch. Reply Stephanie Hochman Mollin, Class of 1992 22 Sep, 2024 Cherished my Olin stack pass and loved being there. I could get great studying done in the Clark Physical Sciences library. A.D. White was a favorite too. Reply Tim Lynch, Class of 1990 25 Sep, 2024 I spent a ton of time in the Physical Sciences library, yes — maybe even two tons, since I was there both as a student and as an employee. I’m probably the only person from the class of 1990 who can say I’m physically touched every single volume that the library owned at the time — thank you, inventory days. And I was tickled to see The Princess Bride come up as one of the options for movies, since seeing that movie was the third date I had with my eventual wife, Lisa Hazard ’91. Lastly, I’m not sure I was ever in Mann Library, but I was amused a few years later to learn that the head of that library was also named Tim Lynch! Reply Sheriar Shaw 23 Sep, 2024 Mallot Hall Library! 👏👍 Reply Will Andersen, Class of 1993 24 Sep, 2024 The Fish Ball at Uris Hall Library where I found cozy nooks to study compared to large open library reading rooms. Kroch library was under construction when I attended Cornell where I could see myself funding a nook to study. 6es, I do prefer paper books verse digital and as love exploring antiquity collection items and reading rare books. Reply Susan Littman, Class of 1980 24 Sep, 2024 I got Kroch as well, where I have never been. Maybe next time I go to Ithaca I will visit. As a freshman, we went to Uris, loved finding a desk in the stacks! Sometimes liked to go to Olin but much more social there. Later on Mann since I was up on the Ag campus in those years. Reply Bill Stewart, Class of 1978 13 Oct, 2024 I was an engineer, but if I had the books I needed and just wanted a quiet desk and some attention span, Uris was my favorite, or sometimes the Johnson Art Museum, which had gorgeous views of the valley in winter. Reply Houston Stokes, Class of 1962 24 Sep, 2024 I enjoyed working in Mann since the desks were great. Reply Claire Heller Burday, Class of 1973 24 Sep, 2024 The wonderful Cornell libraries were a factor in my decision to become a librarian. I worked at the Mann reserve desk and spent a lot of time exploring its stacks as well as those of many of the other libraries. The notable exception was Olin, which, sadly, had closed stacks. I particularly liked the lesser-known libraries such as the Entomology Library, which I believe was in Comstock Hall at that time. I’ve retired from corporate librarianship but I’m a volunteer reference librarian at a museum library working with manuscripts, ephemera, and other special collections so Kroch makes sense to me! Reply Kim Fisher, Class of 2006 28 Sep, 2024 I used to study at the Entomology Library right before finals that I had at Barton Hall since it was nearby. I liked it, but none of my friends ever went there! Reply John Dietl, Class of 2011 24 Sep, 2024 The A.D. White reading room is a jewel of the campus. It would sure be lovely if the fireplace was in use. However, as a student I spent most of my library time leafing through old engineering journals and textbooks, which ended up being quite profitable for my dissertation. It’s a shame what happened to that library. Reply Vicki O'Meara, Class of 1979 24 Sep, 2024 What a fun quiz and surprising result. I’ve never been to Kroch but definitely own the description. Time spent in many libraries, though I must confess was always not so productive, is among my best memories of Cornell. Reply Joan Karliner Leighton, Class of 1964 24 Sep, 2024 The Wason Room at the back of the first floor of Olin Library was a great hideaway…as well as being the reading room for those in Asian Studies. And on Olin’s second floor was a large faculty lounge…there never seemed to be anyone using it so I did! Treasured that Olin stack pass. Reply Matt Brown, Class of 1984 24 Sep, 2024 Loved studying in the stacks at Uris. Although I did waste a lot of time looking through the old Sears Catalogs! Reply Jeri Frank, Class of 1976 24 Sep, 2024 I spent countless hours in Mann Library, until closing time at 11 many nights, often taking overnight reading home that I had to return the next day. I loved the long two-sided slanting tables, and I was sorry not to see any after the renovation when I was last there in 2016 for my 40th reunion. Maybe they saved one and have it stashed somewhere that I didn’t see. The new library is glorious, though, but at this point I’m glad I don’t have to do all that studying anymore! Reply Philip Howles, Class of 1977 26 Sep, 2024 Uris was my go to library – close to the U-halls and where my friends and I hung out. Kroch sounds like it is more my style but wasn’t there back in the mid-70s. Reply R, Class of 2019 1 Oct, 2024 I got Uris from the quiz, but I wasn’t a huge fan when I was studying there. I’m a huge Olin fan. Reply Bob Stanley, Class of 1969 13 Oct, 2024 Somewhat quirky Uris with it’s intriguing architecture and ornate metal-work was always my “home away from home” for study at Cornell. That’s what I would have answered before I ever did the quiz, but that’s what the quiz confirmed! Either a lucky coincidence or a very well-designed quiz! Bob Stanley, Arts, ’69 Reply Kath, Class of 1995 13 Oct, 2024 I love “old stuffs”, so Kroch Library it is! I am a CALS alum, so I spent more time at Mann Library, including working there part-time as a student. It’s great that Cornell’s libraries are filled with such vast resources and constructed with diverse architectural style too! The libraries are both “smart and good-looking!” Reply Reggie Haseltine, Class of 1972 13 Oct, 2024 Olin Library? I spend countless hours in the heated basement of the old electrical engineering library. Reply Dan, Class of 1983 14 Oct, 2024 Olin… I guess. Lots of tough questions in that quiz. In reality I frequented many libraries depending on my mood and need to study: Uris stacks to sleep😆or dig through old magazines, Clark to look out the windows and pretend to work, Mann to work on papers, Hollister if I really needed to focus. Don’t remember getting a lot done in Olin – I didn’t have a pass to the stacks. So fun seeing pictures of laptops in libraries, that would have changed a lot to bring a computer anywhere! Reply Fritz Rothermel, Class of 1965 16 Oct, 2024 Arch Library in Sibley was the Best! Great for studying, researching, hanging with staff, occasional nap after an all-nighter in the drafting rooms. Forever etched in my memory as the place where we heard crushing news of JFK in 1963… Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Cornelliana Need a Gift for the Alum Who Has it All? We’ve Got You Covered! Alumni Inger Burnett-Zeigler ’02 Advocates for Black Women’s Self-Care Cornelliana For Generations of Alums, ‘Straight Cookies’ Were a Beloved Treat