Are you looking for a new hobby? I was, and that’s how I discovered the wonders of the Marriott Library.

The Marriott Library is hard to miss on campus. It holds events, group study sessions and you guessed it, books. I would be surprised if a student hasn’t been inside the library.

After many times using the library as a study spot, or a shortcut to get to and from class, I realized I had never once used the library for the main purpose of its existence—books. While I obviously knew there were books in the library, I hadn’t realized that the books they carried weren’t just academic sources. They have as many, if not more books than a regular city library would carry.

They include academic books that can be quite fascinating, but they also have a large fiction section stocked with many popular books. I had a large list of books I wanted to read that were popular on social media but extremely hard to get from a regular library. I was able to find most of these books at the Marriott Library, and I didn’t even have to submit any holds!

After spending an evening looking over the books with one of my friends, I realized I hadn’t been utilizing one of the best resources on campus. And one of the reasons, I was intimidated by it. There was so many books, how could I ever find what I wanted to read?

One of the things that imitated me was the organization system. There are a billion ways one could organize shelves of books, so how did our library do it?

First, the Marriott Library has a wonderful website (link here)! From this website you can use their search feature to search their catalog of books and view their calendar of events. This is a wonderful way to bypass the intimidation of their rows of shelves.

Their online request system is a great resource. Not only do they have books you can request and put on hold, they have video games, electronics and other equipment. To request these, all you need to do is log in with your UID and request the items you want!

If you are browsing for books, there is code to unlock their organization. The General Collection begins on the second floor. This floor houses sections A – H. Then the collection continues on the first floor with sections H – Z.

First, they are divided into sections by using the alphabet. Second, they are organized into subcategories. After this they are sorted by author. While this may sound intimidating still, on the endcaps of the shelves there are plenty of posters showing you where to go and what you are looking at.

From longer check-out times, better availability and a huge selection of books, the Marriott Library has become one of my favorite go-to spots after class, and I hope you will check out some books too!