With the library temporarily shutting down on Monday, four days after its opening last week, I was fearing it had all just been some sick teaser. We have this gigantic new building and it̢۪s barred from our access by a power outage caused by old infrastructure equipment? Nice.

Fortunately, power was restored early Tuesday morning and I was able to make my much-awaited trip into the massive building that now houses the university̢۪s million plus books and the widely-acclaimed coffee house god, Starbucks.

Walking to the library I noticed those walking around the area generally fell into two categories: first, there were those that were walking by, without even acknowledging the building. Maybe the enormous weaver lady or crazy morphing colors on the huge screen at night will persuade them to pay a little more attention to the new library.

The second set of folks seemed rather determined and filled with purpose. Something in their walk told you they were happily thinking, “I’m gonna pick up a random book, sit on the shiny spankin’ new floor and if I want, even have myself a latte!â€Â

Once inside that determination switched however, to some form of confusion, amazement or even a sense of awe. Not sure where to look or go, people paused in random spots while looking side to side and planning their form of attack.

Although there is a big noticeable table providing library information, I decided the best way to explore was guidance-free. I first noticed a row of what looked like odd interrogation rooms. I guessed they were private study areas, but they looked creepy more than anything, with their slightly frosted glass surrounding the frame of the doors and the bright artificial lighting making the little rooms a true claustrophobic̢۪s nightmare. Maybe a houseplant or some band̢۪s poster would make them a tad more inviting.

Walking back toward the main area of the first floor, I was surprised to see how many computers and study areas were available to students. Strolling by, I looked on the monitors to see what these students were doing so ardently on the new computers. Oh… just MySpace. I must have caught them on a break.

I came to a better study area than the creepy little rooms when I walked further and came to a row of tables that looked out to the Peace Garden. The natural light coming in made it feel like I was outside and it truly created a sense of peace, or at least the peace of mind necessary to focus.

The real awe however, came when I finally ventured to the ground floor. Here I realized the vital importance of a library and its great role in enhancing education.

At first, I felt a bit of anxiety when approaching the movable shelves, especially when hearing beeps coming from random locations, but the anxiety quickly faded away when I began browsing. The seven rows that make the towering book shelves, reminded me of the difference of physically searching through the books, rather than using a cyber portal.

As a lover of literature, it̢۪s great to be able to walk and pick up different books, reading bits and pieces and eventually stumbling upon authors loved.

You don̢۪t mind so much the impromptu furniture of plastic tables and metal chairs, or the occasional loud person, when surrounded by so much knowledge. Even the Starbucks fades from being a prime feature when taking into account all the library has to offer.

Yes, we don̢۪t have the abundance of soft seating or the many fancy electronic gadgets planned, but being able to finally explore and get lost in our very own library is well worth the $105 million and the wait.