Last week, I took my daughter on college tours at the University of Alabama and Auburn University. We started at Alabama early in the week, then headed to Auburn a day later. Like many parents going through this process, I found myself thinking about how quickly my kids are growing up.
I also found myself doing what I often do when I travel: paying close attention to the libraries. Academic libraries often feature prominently on college tours, and for good reason. They are some of the most visible examples of how a university supports learning, collaboration, research, and student life. Even as campuses evolve, libraries remain central gathering places where students study, connect, create, and sometimes just decompress between classes.
Anyway, back to the tours! Two things I love to ask about on a library tour are: 1) does the library have a spooky basement, and 2) are there stories about it being haunted? In both cases, I didn’t get to see any spooky basements, but I did hear about the supposed ghosts haunting the stacks.
At the University of Alabama, we saw the Gorgas Library, which blends historic architecture with updated student spaces. Gorgas is one of several libraries on the campus of Alabama, and it houses the Alabama Digital Humanities Center, a Music and Fine Arts Library, and the Williams Americana Collection. We didn’t have much time, but if she ends up going there, I’ll definitely want to spend more time in this lovely research library!
Gorgas has its share of ghost stories, including mysterious elevator movements, and apparitions of the library’s namesake, Amelia Gorgas.
The next day, we visited Auburn University, where we did a self-guided tour of the campus. We stopped by the Ralph Brown Draughon Library, which has a beautiful interior. We learned that in 2017, the Mell Classroom Building addition was added to the front of the building, bringing together active student learning classrooms with library spaces to support it.
Once again, there was no opportunity to see a spooky basement, but I did read that, according to the Haunted Auburn Walking Tour, the third floor seems to be the primary location of most paranormal activity. This includes books sliding across tables and desks as students worked, books pulling themselves off shelves, and strange noises heard within the stacks.
As someone who has spent a career working with libraries, I love seeing how different institutions create spaces that reflect their culture and priorities. Every campus library feels a little different. Some emphasize quiet scholarship and tradition. Others feel more collaborative, technology-focused, or student-centered in new ways. But they all communicate something important about the institution.
Unfortunately, my daughter did not share my enthusiasm for stopping every five minutes so I could take library photos, so I mostly ended up with a couple of quick selfies outside the buildings. That said, I still came home inspired.
I always keep an eye our for libraries when I travel. This time, they also became part of a meaningful milestone: helping my daughter imagine what her future college experience will look like. And honestly, these “fun facts” about each of the libraries made the trip even more memorable!
