Most of my classes have been on the East Bank of campus, so Wilson is a new discovery for me. However, I wish I had come here to study, sooner. It has your classic /other/ library feeling. Walter is the one you'll see in brochures, is what I'm guessing. Wilson won't because it doesn't share that grandiose Hogwartsesque-vibe-- lots of stained glass and dark woods and long wooden tables with warm golden light. Nah, Wilson is more like the Biomed library. Some "cool" spaces with lots of white resin surfaces and neon upholstry and more outlets than one person could need on the remodeled first floor, but serious studying spaces on the next few floors.
Not a whole lot of outlets at the tables in the middle sections of the third and first floors, which are surrounded by stacks with books that look like no one has read them since 1973. And offices. There's some natural light, which is rare and good. The majority of natural light seems to come into the separate "Deep Quiet" section on the 3rd?4th? floor. I don't think this room is actually "deeply quiet" -- quite the opposite, in fact. I've seen people eat very large meals in there, and hold group study sessions, Which kind of sucks, especially since there are outlets and plenty of space in there. I wish someone would enforce it...small groups have plenty of other spaces to talk (even quietly) in other parts of the library. Perhaps ironically, other parts of the library are generally really quiet.
As a caveat, I've only really worked from here during the the weekends and mornings, so I can't speak to how crowded it gets during busier times. But I'd recommend it if you're looking for plentiful space and relative quiet. read more