My colleague’s intriguing blog post about secrets made me think “do we have any secrets here at the library?” The fact that I had to think awhile is a good sign since we aim for transparency. But I did think of one: did you know the library has a fourth floor?
Since this floor is set back from the rest of the building it is not that easy to spot from the street. The “penthouse” (a true misnomer) is a windowless, uninviting, loud, and cavernous space full of HVAC machinery and the odds and ends that are found in most library storage rooms. It can also be a bit spooky especially if you accidently run into our haunted house supplies.
However, because it is set back fro the other floors it offers something pretty amazing: a roof. Since this area is strictly off-limits (think of the legal liabilities!) I took a few snapshots with my cheap camera phone for you to enjoy. If you want to simulate this up-on-the-roof feeling without quite as much vertigo please visit our wonderful terrace on the third floor.
Here is another view of the iconic open book skylight. The gothic building in the distance is the Holder Memorial Tower at Princeton University.
Our neighbor: the Michael Graves-designed Paul Robeson Center for the Arts.
A free bent spoon ice cream to the first person to guess what this thing is doing on the roof. (Sorry, contest is not open to library staff.)