Day Forty-Five: More Midnight Stacks

The KU student experience isn't complete without at least one late night spent studying at Watson Library. As the main library at the university, Watson is a centerpiece of the KU campus. The lights in these windows will glow well into the night as students research topics for papers, cram for tests, and hunt for books in "the stacks."

For all of its architectural grandeur, the Watson stacks - made up of half-floor levels barely tall enough for this 6-foot-plus photographer to stand up straight - resemble an old warehouse with thousands upon thousands of books thrown up on rickety metal shelves (in an albeit well-organized manner).

In fact, the only thing more rickety than the shelving is the old-school elevator that serves as one method for traveling from stack to stack. Of course, the elevator will only operate if you first pull shut the accordion-style metal-frame door on the outside. And while the elevator has never given me any cause to doubt its ability, I can't help but wonder if I may need to plan an amazing escape every time I enter it.

The steps up to the library's main doors (shown below) will remain busy throughout the night as some students come to hit the stacks, and others leave to hit the sacks.