Graphic by Wylie Phu
Hill v Hunt
“There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.”
These immortal words by George Orwell were the first that came to mind when comparing Hunt Library and D.H. Hill Jr. Library. Hunt is clearly the better institution, and anyone who has visited the two will know why.
To begin, if placed next to Hill Library, Hunt looks like the better side of a “before and after” makeover. It’s absolutely gorgeous, with an enormous field outside to boot. On the other hand, Hill is extremely blocky and is next to a brickyard under construction — not the view of a lifetime.
Not only does Hunt have a better view, but it has massive windows to pair with it. If that’s not enough, Hunt also boasts the Skyline Terrace, a beautiful area which accentuates the view even more.
The typical trappings of older libraries are completely bypassed by Hunt, which has the entire spectrum of open and tight spaces. Which spaces you make use of are up to you.
On the other hand, Hill is filled with claustrophobic spaces, making one feel sealed off with no accommodation for other study space preferences.
Perhaps you appreciate the older aesthetic provided by the older library. And yet, Hill is decked out with many newer decorations, making it feel split between centuries. On the other hand, Hunt fully embraces the modern aesthetic, with everything from wild and inventive chair designs to unique bookshelf layouts.
If all of this — the view and the look, the interior aesthetic and the diversity of available rooms — doesn’t sway you, Hunt Library is also sustainable. Thirty-one percent of its building materials are made from recycled content and roof-mounted solar panels that greatly reduce energy usage.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention Hunt’s most iconic attraction: the bookBot. The technological marvel at the center of the facility, it’s freely available to all interested students. For anyone critical of the bookBot, you’re free to avoid it. Regardless, it serves as an extra straw upon the camel’s back when contrasted with Hill.
A defender of Hill may rightly point out that Hill is, at the very least, near the heart of campus, whereas getting to Hunt is a miles-long adventure up to Centennial Campus. While this is true, it is immaterial to how the libraries themselves compare.
If one could choose between having Hunt or Hill nearest, it would be far better to choose the former. Indeed, when the most important defense of Hill is simply that you need to travel further to reap the rewards of Hunt, it doesn’t seem like a ringing endorsement.
Likewise, the claim that Hill has the Atrium and numerous resulting restaurants while Hunt does not is correct, but also adjacent to the battle of the libraries. Yet again, all this claim does is prove how much better Hunt is as an actual library. If I had to argue that one elementary school was better than another, I would not reference a movie theater near one school as improving the quality of the school itself.
With these attributes in mind, it surprises me that there’s even a debate about this matter. Hunt is simply the more desirable library. If you need any more justification, picture what would happen if the locations were reversed. If they were, with Hunt in the middle of North Campus and Hill a bus ride away on Centennial, there would be no question which one would be more desirable.