Old Library

First Appearance and Context

The Old Library is an original library building that fronts the Cloister within a Math. It is approached by a smaller doorway from the Scriptorium and opens onto the roofed gallery surrounding the Cloister garden.

Description and Setting

• The stone floor is so worn and smooth underfoot that one could navigate by feel alone; it is described as centuries older than the floor of the New Library, underscoring the antiquity of this structure.
• Its doors are singled out as works that consumed the lifetimes of their makers, reflecting long traditions of careful craft in wood and stone.
• It stands among other buildings that present directly to the Cloister and are part of the daily circulation of avout.

Notable Holdings and Use

• The stacks contain very old volumes, including long‑neglected tomes.
• A peer retrieved an oversized compendium from its stacks on an old particle‑theory vogue and discreetly used it to transport a photomnemonic tablet during a peer‑run study effort.
• When investigating a phenomenon near the sun, a peer identified the Old Library as a likely source for Praxic Age references; by the next morning a large volume titled “Praxic Age Exoatmospheric Weapons Systems” had been produced for study, highlighting the library’s role in accessing obscure technical works.

Access and Related Spaces

• Reading rooms near the Fendant Court are used for consultation; avout move between those spaces, the Scriptorium, and the Old Library while researching.

Current Status

Present and in active use; consulted alongside the New Library for rare or specialized topics.