When you ask Georgetown students what the most picturesque building on campus is, it likely isn’t Lauinger Library. Large, unassuming and gray, Lauinger — or “Lau” — might not be the prettiest building on Georgetown campus, but it serves as one of the most important hubs for students to study.
Built as the brutalist reimagining of Healy Hall, Lau has five floors with study spots, essential resources and a place to print your paper at the last minute. As you climb the five floors, noise levels decrease, with the fifth floor serving as silent study. For everyone who’s preparing to enter Lau for the first time, here’s the break down, floor by floor:
Lau 1
The library’s first floor holds the highest amount of different spaces, with an overall quiet atmosphere. Down here, students can work in the general study area or, if you’re a graduate student, reserve a graduate study room. The first floor also holds three unique spaces:
Maker Hub
Have a design project? An arts and crafts side quest? Look no further than the Maker Hub, where students can enjoy a collection of design equipment within the space. From woodworking to textiles to 3D printers, the Maker Hub has everything you need to create! The space is open for all during their open hours.
Gelardin Center
The Gelardin Center is the hub for multimedia in Lau, with 35 desktops and six digital media studios. If you are looking to create, edit or watch media of all formats, the Gelardin Center can be the perfect place to go. Additionally, some classes use the Gelardin Center to meet with librarians for research sessions.
Idea Lab
If you are having a particularly tricky time with a problem, the Idea Lab serves as an extra meeting space for students to problem-solve together. The space is equipped with whiteboard tables, screens, and a zoom room computer. Reservations for the Idea Lab have to be made at least one week in advance.
Additionally, you can enter the library from the ground level on Lau 1, saving you a trip up the stairs on O Street!
Lau 2
The second floor is arguably the heart of Lau. Here is where you’ll often find the most people at any given time, with huge spaces for group study and collaboration. Lau 2 is the loudest part of the library, allowing students to talk with their friends or group members about what they’re working on. A lot of teaching assistants (TAs) and study centers also meet on Lau 2. The floor features plenty of large tables, cubicles and individual or group study rooms, available to reserve online. Lau 2 also has a perimeter of personal study rooms that are available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Lau 2 also plays host to Midnight Mug, one of The Corp’s coffee shop locations, and the Writing Center, which provides free one-on-one peer tutoring for students during the writing process. Midnight Mug, open until 1:30 a.m. on most weekdays, is a staple for late-night studying. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Wonder Woman mug behind the counter! And whenever you have a question about a paper or even a resume, the Writing Center is a wonderful resource with outstanding peer tutors. Students can book a session with a trained tutor online.
Lau 3
Despite being the third floor of the library, Lau 3 is the library’s main entrance, accessible from Healy Lawn. When you walk in, be sure to swipe your GOCard at the security desk (and say hi!) before choosing to enter one of the fabulous reading rooms on Lau 3. To your right is the Pierce Reading Room: newly renovated, with plenty of natural light and long tables to study quietly at. To your left, next to the elevators, is the Millennium meeting room, which you can reserve for a larger group meeting or study session (though be warned, the lighting is strange).
If instead you choose to go straight forward, you’ll end up in Lau 3’s other reading room. Here you’ll be able to find the circulation desk, where you can check out and reserve books. This reading room also features rows of desktop computers, cubicles and tables to work at.
Lau 4
Lau 4 is one of the quieter floors, where you’ll find rows and rows of cubicles filled with students “locking in,” especially during finals season. This floor is one of the quintessential study floors, with two group study rooms available for reservation and another graduate student lounge. There isn’t too much else to Lau 4, but I recommend studying at a table in front of one of Lau’s windows in the winter for pretty views in a productive environment!
Lau 5
The highest floor of Lau is where you’ll find complete and utter silence… but it isn’t scary at all! Here is where you’ll find the last couple of cubicles in the library, as well as the Murray conference room which you can reserve. You can also meet with librarians in their administration office.
What I find most special about Lau 5 is the Booth Family Center for Special Collections and Fairchild Gallery, which holds Georgetown’s archival and manuscript collections. Think of the coolest and rarest books or maps, and look no further than the Booth Family Center! Professors sometimes bring classes to visit the center, but I highly recommend making the trip on your own as well. Last fall, for example, I was able to read rare pieces from the Vladimir Nabokov collection, including translated manuscripts and letters from the author.
Last notes
To navigate the endless stacks of Lau, filling each floor, be sure to check out call number locations (which are posted on each floor) or ask a member of the circulation desk to point you to the correct floor. Lau is open basically 24/7 — usually only closing from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. on the weekends — but some spaces vary, so check the website for the latest information! Otherwise, I wish you all of the best as you embark on your journey into Lauinger Library. It truly is the best place to work and study (or at least pretend to work and study). Happy Lau-ing!