Dear Library,

Where do I even begin? Trying to describe all that you have done for me is like trying to write that sixty-four page paper from last semester: next to impossible, but with two weeks and a lot of coffee, somehow it could be done.

I don’t have two weeks, and I don’t have two weeks worth of coffee, but I will attempt to do my best.

Thank you, Lib, for those couple weeks this semester that you basically let me move in. I know I’m at your place all the time, and it kind of feels like we are roommates by now, but especially in those days (and nights) when I really needed a quiet place to focus and constant access to caffeine. My own bedroom, and apartment, could never compare to the atmosphere and hospitality you provided me. (Just a little advice, though, maybe turn up the heat just a tad? No reason to get stingy on the Air Conditioning bill, now.)

Thanks for the coffee breaks, during which I would just walk around your floors and talk to anyone I knew as a small distraction from the flash cards for my religion test the next morning. Whether it be my second cousin or the chick I had a class with once freshman year, those breaks helped my sanity. They did not help my grades, but oh well -- that isn’t your fault. You just bring all of us together. You’re wonderful.

Thank you for not judging me when you saw me at my worst, like that one time I cried in the third floor bathroom to my mom because I hadn’t slept in 72 hours. Or when the librarians didn’t judge me for wearing the exact same groutfit of gray sweatpants and a gray t-shirt for three days in a row. Or when I ate all of the fruit snacks out of the vending machines. Or when I got my blood, sweat, and tears all over the computer lab because of three reports and an exam all being due on the same day. No matter what curve ball my professors decided to throw my way, you had my back.

Thanks for the comfy seats, the naps on the couches, the quiet rooms, the convenient parking, the books that I literally never checked out, the speedy internet, and the outlets for all of my electronics.

I owe you for passing my exams and finishing those term papers. Or, even just the random Tuesday nights where I would sit and dick around on the internet for hours at a time, because packing my stuff and going home to do the same thing just seemed like too much work.

You stuck with me all year, even when others came and pretended to have what you and I had. No matter what, we knew the truth. It’s you and me, Libby. You and me, always and forever.

Sorry that I would always move your furniture around in order to suit my immediate needs, and that I wouldn’t put it back because I was too lazy. Sorry about that one time I napped on your chair and drooled a little on the arm rest. Sorry about the things I said and did when I was stressed out and deprived of sleep.

But mostly, sorry that I have to say goodbye. For the summer, at least. Without school, well, we just don’t really have a reason to be together, you know? We don’t have that much in common anymore. But don’t worry about me -- I’ll be okay. And I’ll be back before you know it. We can make long distance work, right?

Library, you are one of my greatest friends. You’re my steady support system, my study buddy, my safe haven. I’m going to miss you more than anything.

I love you, Library.