Special Visit: UC San Diego Geisel Library

Although not affiliated with the San Diego Public Library System, the Geisel Library is one of the most iconic structures on the University of California San Diego campus, as well as in the city of San Diego as a whole. It is one of the two buildings that compose the UC San Diego Library (the other being the Biomedical Library, located about a 5 minute walk away in the med school), and was constructed in the early 1970s. Originally known on campus as Central Library, in 1995 the structure was named after Audrey and Theodore Geisel (the latter more commonly known under his pen name, Dr. Seuss), who were generous benefactors to the library.

The building consists of eight floors, though the main entrance to the library is on the second level and the third level consists only of an outdoor patio and much of the concrete frame that holds the structure. The first floor is actually underground, and is home to much of the staff only areas, computers and media viewing areas, and specialty material storage such as journals and music score. The second floor is the main entrance to the library and home to different information and assistance desks. The floor contains two large wings, east and west, which each have computers and printers. The west commons on the second floor also holds the special collections and library archives. The fourth through eight floors hold the majority of the library's collection, and also have tables and study rooms around the perimeter of the floors.

Overall, it was an interesting comparison for me to explore the Geisel library after visiting seven SDPL branches thus far. Even without observing the general demographic of the patrons in the building, there is a clear distinction between an academic library at a research university, a library built to enable past knowledge to be studied and shaped into ideas of the future, in comparison to a public library, designed to provide resources to the local community that extend beyond the cover of a book or the dimensions of a screen. Both kinds of libraries have their unique strengths and goals, and visiting them both gives me an appreciation for how broad the role of libraries in our society really extends. 

For more information on the Geisel Library, visit them online:

http://libraries.ucsd.edu/about/us/geisel-building.html