Close your eyes and imagine: You’re walking through the front gates of campus. In front of you is the stunning, elegant, iconic Healy Hall. Overcome with the gothic beauty before your eyes, you look around at the rest of campus. To the right, a sprawling lawn full of students playing frisbee, hanging in hammocks and enjoying the fresh air.
To the left, a dark gray, brutalist building by the name of Joseph Mark Lauinger Memorial Library overlooking the front lawn. Despite its unassuming — and perhaps mildly intimidating — appearance, Lauinger Library, Georgetown University’s main library, commonly referred to as “Lau,” is a treasure trove of resources and materials and the birthplace of countless top-tier student projects.
Lau consists of five floors, each equipped with a printer, stacks of books, cubicles and explicit and implicit expectations. In order to unlock the full potential of what this library has to offer, here’s a self-proclaimed Lau Professional’s guide:
Lau 1
Compared to the other floors, Lau 1 is the most distinct due to its mixed usage and wide variety of resources available to students. It is a generally quiet floor, with only hushed conversations taking place. Something about its almost dark atmosphere is perfect for some respectable brooding or maybe a more concentrated study. It’s not the most crowded floor in the library, but students make the trek to Lau 1 work in the following sub-sections of the floor:
1. The Maker Hub
Lau 1’s claim to fame, The Maker Hub is a collaborative space for all of your creative needs. It houses a small woodshop, button-making machines, 3-D printers, sewing machines and craft materials galore. The Maker Hub hosts workshops every month, allowing students to learn new skills and create projects to share with their friends and family. You can check out Lau’s website for information on hours of operation and specifics of materials offered.
2. Gelardin New Media Center/Multimedia Processing Rooms
If you need to use specific programs for a multimedia project, or just want to look at a screen different from your laptop, then look no further! This part of Lau contains Windows and Mac desktops equipped with iMovie and other processing software for all students to use. There is also a production room, which is home to Georgetown’s student-run record label, “Prospect Records.”
3. The Idea Lab
Located next to the Maker Hub, you can find whiteboard tables and flat-screen TVs in this room. It’s a nice little study spot, but it can also serve as a classroom or meeting spot.
4. The General Study Area
Tucked away in the left corner of the floor are a series of cubicles, group tables and couches for your study convenience.
This floor also features a graduate study room, which is technically reserved for graduate students only.
Lau 2
The infamous hot spot of Lau! This floor is pretty much always lively, and it is almost guaranteed you’ll run into someone you know. This floor has no volume limit; students can reserve group study rooms online, and it is the only floor where you can eat and bring food.
Lau 2 is also home to Midnight MUG. Midnight MUG, also referred to as “Midnight,” is one of the Corp’s student-run coffee spots on campus, and it is often filled with friendly conversation and great music. If you’re ever in Lau and cramming for a test, finishing up a paper late into the night or simply just wanting a quick study snack, Midnight is the place to go!
To the left of Midnight is the Writing Center. The Writing Center is a free resource for all students, graduates and undergraduates to use, where students can assist you with drafting, writing, editing and basically anything else related to writing. Go here for a class paper, brainstorming a project or even reviewing a job application.
Lau 3
I know this is a bit misleading, but this is actually the floor where you enter Lau! Upon entering, make sure to tap or swipe your Go-Card at the security desk to gain entry.
The most important thing about this floor is the circulation desk. This is where you can check out books and pick up or return materials that you reserved. To reserve materials such as books, audio equipment, cameras and more, please visit Lau’s website.
This floor also has two reading rooms, a much larger study or meeting room called the Millennium Room and more desktop computers. The Pierce Reading Room, located to the right upon entry, is currently under construction and expected to reopen by 2026. However, when it is open, it is a silent study room. The other reading room, which contains the circulation desk and computers, has a medium volume, making it a good space for group studying without too much distraction.
Lau 4
This is another quiet study area, but whispering is generally allowed. The floor mostly consists of stacks, cubicles and small group tables. It also has a lot of tables next to windows, so if you want a place to study and want some sunlight, this is the place to be. During finals week, this can be a packed place, as students find this to be a good place to both lock in but also stay with their friends.
There is also another graduate student lounge on this floor, as well as two group study rooms. However, other than that, it’s a fairly standard library floor.
Lau 5
This is the silent floor of the library, meaning you’re basically putting yourself in
(cue ominous music) … study exile!
Just kidding, it’s not that deep. But this floor is where you would want to go if you really want to lock in. It’s not conducive to group work, as talking is not permitted, and there are no study rooms. However, this floor features nice windows in the back that overlook the Potomac, plenty of cubicles, some comfortable couch chairs that look out over the front lawn and a long study table with lamps, creating a cozy atmosphere for when you really need to get some work done.
This floor is home to the library administration office and the Murray Conference Room. It also houses the Booth Family Center for Special Collections, which contains Georgetown’s rare book collections, manuscript collections, the GU Archives and the university art collection. Schedule an appointment to access rare and special materials that the university protects, some of which are often on display in the Fairchild Gallery also on Lau 5.
So … Who Will You Be?
Will you be a Lau 4 warrior that always gets a good table by a window, a Lau 2 socializer that frequents Midnight or maybe even a Lau 1 desktop lover? I personally like to switch things up depending on how dire my study situation is, but once you’re on campus, it is up to you to decide which floors meet your needs.