Portraits of the Houston Cole Library | The Education Librarian: A Day in the Life

: View from the 5th Floor

Well, it’s nearing the end of “Maymester,” and I thought I would take a few pictures of the view from the library today.
The Houston Cole Library (HCL) is the tallest library in the state, with 12 floors (the Education Collection is on the 5^th floor). There are so many sofas, chairs, tables, and floors in this building that our “regulars” (those students who frequent the library consistently) have their favorite places to study.

View from the 12th Floor

While every floor is unique, the view of our Appalachian foothills gets better and better the higher you go. Each floor provides incredible views. It just occurred to me that it seems appropriate that the History Collection is on the 3^rd floor towards the bottom of the library as it sort of serves as a foundation, housing tomes of history, maps, and archives of the past, while the 10^th floor (the highest floor containing books) is home to books and journals that pertains to technology, change and the future. My floor, the 5^th floor, is the midsection of the library. It seems fittting that the Education Collection serves as a bridge between the old and the new.

The Fifth Floor

I tend to think of education as the heart of this University, but as the Education Librarian, I might be biased. Okay, maybe I’m reading too much into the layout of the HCL, but this is definitely an interesting library with spectacular views and a plethora of study spaces.

12th Floor Study Area

Speaking of study spaces, if I were a student, I think I would prefer to study on the 12^th floor because there is a panoramic view of the mountains, the campus, and the cute little square of Jacksonville. The town of Jacksonville is rich with history, much of it centered around education, with its first school house built in 1836 and the evolution of JSU from its recognition as a State Normal School in 1883. Rick Bragg touched on Jacksonville’s mill town history in his latest book, The Prince of Frog Town. The 12^th floor always offers a beautiful view of the campus and the town, whether it’s foggy, stormy, brilliantly glimmering with Autumn colors, or a perfect blue sky sunny day, just like today.