I am officially done with summer. It has just been too hot here in Princeton for too long. Unfortunately, we haven’t even made it through July. The odds for cooler weather are not in our favor. If you are like me and have had enough of this heat, I invite you to experience the joy that is the library. We are well air-conditioned and have plenty of spots to sit, relax, read, and cool down. I took a quick tour of all three floors to share some of the prime spots to chill out when it’s hot outside. This is just a small sampling of the many places you can read, study, or hang out in the library.
On the first floor we have two sets of four comfortable chairs with a small table in the center. These are on either side of the Book Group Fiction collection. In addition to being next to that excellent collection these chairs are also close to our staff picks and New Fiction and New Suspense books.
While not in the quietest area of the library these chairs are the closest to the entrance and provide an eye-level view of bustling Witherspoon Street.
Just one floor up, we have two long and flexible couch-like seating units. These are at the end of the floor close to the fireplace (don’t worry, the fireplace is off for the summer). These are great if you want to spread out and would like a bit more quiet than our first-floor seating.
Also on the second floor, we have four sets of four chairs in our Newsroom. If you want to get caught up on your magazine and newspaper reading while you cool off, I recommend settling in here.
For our teenage visitors looking to get out of the heat we have eight large comfortable chairs and two huge ottomans under the skylight in the Teen Center on the third floor. These can be moved about to accommodate small or larger groups.
On the other side of the third floor in the Early Literacy area, we have two of these adorable tiny chair and side table sets. These are great for reading picture books and following along with our read-along (books plus audio) books.
This is just a sampling of the many seating and reading areas of the library. I invite you to come escape the heat and find your own favorite space on any of the floors and, as always, happy reading!
Photos by the author