<p>The original design of TOSU library renovation called for filling-in the atrium, thereby creating more floor space for tables and books by the administration. Luckily, the architecture firm hired for the project insisted on building a student-centered library (open air & light), therefore the tray design was adopted in which partial floor ceilings are exposed. </p>
<p>And of course, if you are not a fan of the restored Grand Reading Room, there is always the new westside reading room with high enough ceiling to serve your needs. </p>
<p>A little outdated. UChicago’s Harper Memorial Library no longer houses any books. We have three libraries on campus (with a fourth being built), and all three of them are nothing special.</p>
<p>A notable architectural feature of several of the nicer libraries (Harper at Chicago; Doheny at USC; Suzzalo at Washington; and, Bapst at BC) is that they display the shields of other universities.</p>
<p>Sparkeye7, thanks for the link. I now concede. OSU’s library is the most beautiful library i’ve seen (but only on pictures). I’d pay it a visit on my next travel to the US.</p>
<p>^^ Sounds good, RML!! Just make sure that you don’t wind up in the wrong libraries (there are roughly ‘two dozen’ libraries on TOSU’s campus). In fact, the nearby Sullivant Hall - home to the Dance and Theatre Department is undergoing a major renovation as we speak to become the future home of Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum (world’s largest collection of comic strips), and that particular building resembles in dimension and design of the W. O. Thompson Library (w/o the stack tower however).</p>
<p>I find the pictures of Sullivan Hall to be kind of drab and mundane. Certainly nothing special. It looks like much of tOSU campus to be quite honest. While I do like the new library, this one is nothing special.</p>
<p>This is a nice blend of Asian and Western styles, and one of only two free-standing Asian Studies libraries at US universities (the other being the Harvard-Yenching Institute Library).</p>
<p>I have been to both schools many times Sparkeye7. tOSU reminds me more of MSU with the total separation of campus from city. High St. could easily be Grand River Ave., the school on one side street and the city on the other. Of course you and I would both agree that MSU is a far more beautiful campus than tOSU. Michigan looks nothing like MSU or OSU. The central campus is completely integrated into the city and the north campus has a decidedly different, suburban feeling. While I would never say the overall campus in Ann Arbor is more beautiful than the older part of the campus at MSU, I will say imho it is more attractive than the campus in Columbus.</p>
<p>^^ So far as I am concerned, Michigan & TOSU campuses are not much different in terms of building designs or even landscaping, where MSU certainly has the upperhand in terms of landscaping. </p>
<p>In short, both campuses are no University of Chicago or Yale, in which nearly all the buildings are uniformally gothic in design and connected in matrix. If we really want to dig deep into Michigan vs Ohio State campus, I can tell you that on countless occasion while I was on the central campus, I see blue buses nearly run over UM students who tried to maneuver their way through the narrow campus streets between classes, they were literally running for lives (especially the streets across from the dental school).</p>
<p>Back to the topic, I like UCB’s post showing all three major Berkeley libraries are now connected, it is a formidable academic powerhouse to say the least.</p>
<p>@zapfino, ‘A recent addition to UCB, the C.V. Starr East Asian Library’</p>
<p>Pretty cool!!</p>
<p>@neltharion,</p>
<p>Don’t feel bad, NU’s library is not much better either!</p>
<p>Perhaps, this explains why an Econ major senior from UChicago would travel all the way up north from Hyde Park to downtown Argo Tea last weekend to study while I was also there doing my reading.</p>
<p>" If we really want to dig deep into Michigan vs Ohio State campus, I can tell you that on countless occasion while I was on the central campus, I see blue buses nearly run over UM students who tried to maneuver their way through the narrow campus streets between classes, they were literally running for lives (especially the streets across from the dental school)."</p>
<p>Running for their lives? Are we talking about the dangerous areas to the east and south of tOSU campus now?</p>
<p>^^ Indeed. However, I am not overly concerned with the campus safety as the Gateway Project Phase II and University Master Planning with Sasaki Asso. have continued to address numerous issues (safety included) to improve the quality of learning environment for the school.</p>
<p>South Campus Gateway Project - Phase I (completed)</p>
<p>I was just in Columbus a few weeks ago and noticed how attractive that complex was. Of course I wouldn’t dare walk around the area a couple blocks east of there alone at night. Here you go Sparkeye. This is what a nice clean safe city looks like in the fall:</p>
<p>UM is a good college town allright. Yet, in all honesty, I am really not that impressed with AA (especially after relocating to Columbus), having lived ~20mins drive away from UM campus for nearly a decade of my life, I can attest to you that C-bus has a looooooooooooooot more to offer in terms of cultural, activities, entertainments, restaurants, …etc. You name it, Columbus has AA beat… In terms of safety, as with any major city in America, Columbus has its share of rough neighborhoods. But really, after 9pm, similar to High St at TOSU, not many students would be wandering around Main or State st alone or w/o encountering homeless people in AA as well. In fact, I recall always seeing student-thugs bar fight in and out of ‘Nectarine’ in ann arbor when I was a student at the nearby MSU visiting my cousin and his friends who were regular there on “Thursday Asian Night.” The rest is history…</p>
<p>"****In fact, I recall always seeing student bar fight outside of ‘Nectarine’ in ann arbor when I was a student at the nearby MSU visiting my cousin and his friends who were regular there on “Thursday Asian Night.”</p>
![http://www.jeffsimpsondesign.com/images/jeff_simpson_ohio_state_thompson_library_03.jpg[/url]](http://www.jeffsimpsondesign.com/images/jeff_simpson_ohio_state_thompson_library_03.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
![http://facilities.uchicago.edu/campusconstruction/cpcimages/regenstein.jpg[/url]](http://facilities.uchicago.edu/campusconstruction/cpcimages/regenstein.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
![http://media.cleveland.com/ent_impact_arts/photo/new-library-museumjpg-6fc6655ad0f364da.jpg[/url]](http://media.cleveland.com/ent_impact_arts/photo/new-library-museumjpg-6fc6655ad0f364da.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
![http://www.civicimages.com/im/united_states/illinois/northwestern-university-019.jpg[/url]](http://www.civicimages.com/im/united_states/illinois/northwestern-university-019.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
![http://www.class.uh.edu/ImageGallery/US%20Cities/large/Ann%20Arbor.jpg[/url]](http://www.class.uh.edu/ImageGallery/US%20Cities/large/Ann%20Arbor.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
![http://www.secularstudents.org/files/columbus.Bcirker.cropped.jpg[/url]](http://www.secularstudents.org/files/columbus.Bcirker.cropped.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
