It was recently pointed out to me by my good friend, Johnny Lazebnik ‘16, that there are a lot of awesome places and things on campus that many people don’t know about. Despite being in a small bubble-like college environment, there’s a ton to do and see; while rushing through academic, extracurricular, and social routines, it can be hard to experience everything. But never fear, Wesleying is here, unveiling all of Wesleyan’s hidden gems so that you can get the most out of them or at least experience them vicariously through the Internet.

Starting off this series (no promises!) of posts is a mechanical treasure deep in the belly of the Science Library. If you venture down the stairs and past the fire exit that nearly everyone almost walks through, you’ll arrive in the basement. This is typically a quieter space, with several large tables, study rooms, and thesis carrels. You’ll notice, however, that this only takes up the front half of the room. If you head for the back, you’ll find rows of shelves, lined up like dominos, filling the space up to the back wall. But these shelves are no ordinary shelves. You’ll find that most of the shelves are so close together you can’t even get to the books on them! Seems strange, but this space-saving measure allows for a rather entertaining innovation: the shelves are automated.

That’s right, with just the push of a button, you can move one or more shelves out of your path, allowing you to get to your study materials. Pretty neat, huh? But why just stop there? Besides using the shelves for practical uses or just to marvel at the miracles of modern technology, you can have a lot more fun with them! If you’re down there and are in the mood for a study break that’s slightly more active than browsing the Internet, here are some things you can try.