Today I set foot in the School of Social Service Administration Library and D’Angelo Law Library for the first, and possibly last, time. I had to look up where the SSA Library was, and not-exactly lie (Security guard: “Are you a law school student?” Me: “Staff.” Security guard: “I haven’t seen you around before.” Me: “I generally work across the Midway.” Security guard: “Okay.”) to even get into the Law Library, and I can’t say either was worth the trouble from a graffiti-collecting perspective.
SSA Library
About the library
Apparently, the SSA is one of the world’s leading schools for training social workers (ranked 3rd and 1st). That said, I’d be surprised if it would come up at all if you asked UofC undergrads to name the graduate programs at the University. The library is tiny in comparison to the others on campus, and only houses 37,000 volumes.
Who studies there?
I’d guess it’s pretty much limited to SSA students– ie, master’s and doctoral students who are probably serious about working in a difficult field.
What are the study spaces like?
There’s some tables and a couple couches in an open reading area.
Where is graffiti written?
It isn’t. I looked everywhere I could without seeming too suspicious, and while the library feels a little dingy and run-down, it’s quite free of graffiti.
I came across a filing cabinet drawer labeled twice as “alcohol charities”, and one of the hands made it look a bit like “alcohol chanties”… like, sea shanties for drinkers, perhaps? A euphemism for Irish drinking songs? Admittedly, I’m grasping at straws here.
D’Angelo Law Library
About the library
Located on the 2nd – 6th floors of the law school, the D’Angelo Law Library has a website that doesn’t seem to include metrics useful for comparison like how many books it has.
Who studies there?
Law school students, faculty (who appear to have their own offices in the library), and various lawyers and judges with the right forms of ID. Or anyone else who can slip into the building along with a group of law school students. I knew someone in college who really enjoyed going over there to study.
What are the study spaces like?
It’s mostly tables– in rows along the windows, and in study areas towards the center of each floor. There’s also study carrels with built-in bookshelves, most of which are assigned according to a priority list. (You can imagine how the assignment to individuals might cut down on graffiti there.)
Where is graffiti written?
It isn’t. I had hopes that I’d find witticisms scattered here and there, moans of despair about the bar exam, quotes involving “Truth, Justice and the American way” or “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups…”
Maybe it’s because they’re too busy pursuing serious careers, and too grown-up to be scrawling on the walls the way undergrads do. Maybe it’s because a first offense of criminal defacement of property, causing up to $300 damage, is a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and fines up to $1,500. (720 ILCS 5/21‑1.3)
Alas, not even the (women’s) restrooms are safe harbor for graffiti. Pristine, graffiti-free metal, all of them.
Indeed, a few revisions to the name and address on the elevator Certificate of Inspection were the closest thing I could find to graffiti in the whole place. And even that is nothing compared to the elevator Certificate of Inspection hijinks you can find in, say, Foster Hall.
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