The Bizzell Library has no shortage of love so far, I’ve seen half a dozen posts on it but I had to add it to my list as well. Born and raised in Norman, the Biz has been a huge part of my life. From elementary field trips to family graduations, I spent some time here before I even started college. My dad actually immigrated from Pakistan, with his two brothers, to Norman specifically to get an education from OU. I really don’t know why they chose this place out of literally anywhere across the U.S. but I’m glad with the decision they made.

This place is also where I first found home at OU. Being a freshman living at home, I didn’t get the social interaction that was available while living at the dorms. The Helmerich Collaborative Learning Center (HCLC) had just recently opened and it was an outlet lovers dream. So much power running through the entire space, a sleek and modern design, and the collaborative aspect made me fall in love with it.

Soon I applied for a job at the HCLC and got it. It’s been almost two years and I am still currently working there. My boss used to  joke that I lived there because of the ridiculous amount of time I spent down there. In my defense, finding somewhere in the library to charge your phone can be hard at times. Not only did I find somewhere to work and charge my phone, I found a family there. I’ve learned so much about innovative technologies like 3D printing and virtual reality from my bosses, something I don’t believe I would have gotten the chance to learn anywhere else. The first real friends I made on campus were my co-workers and it was really a helpful way to become integrated in the OU community. I later learned my cousin was one of the architects for the HCLC a few months after I got the job –small world I guess, but it was almost like a reassurance of why I loved this place so much!

Now to the building itself. I am most familiar with the updated lower level as I previously stated, but having my dad, uncles, and older cousins go in and out of OU from the 70’s till now, I’ve heard a lot about how it has changed. It was built in 1928, during which William Bennett Bizzell was serving as OU’s 5th president, and was built with a Gothic style of architecture in mind. The library’s architectural style would later be specified as Cherokee Gothic, to take account some of the traditionally Native American elements of the design. You can definitely see the Gothic style with the numerous gargoyles and concrete statutes all around the building. Even though they may be very creepy late at night, they are works of art!

  Photo Credits: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjEMhDif & Google