Just like Old Main, the Pattee and Paterno Libraries are one of the most recognizable buildings on campus. Home to the notoriously maze-like stack levels that are designed to test your knowledge of map navigation, the libraries are also home to the oldest working elevator on campus. Installed in 1924, this tiny elevator is made of wood and steel and located in the main lobby. It took me and my guide up to the fourth floor of Pattee Library where the access doors to the rooftops are located.

Up on the fifth floor in the stairwell is a ladder that leads up to a locked door in the ceiling. Just as difficult as getting onto the Rec Hall rooftop, the small square door opens into the library’s attic. The attic is pitch black unless you manage to find a small switch to turn on a dim light. After pulling myself up by a thick wire embedded in the floor, I crawled through the dirty attic to another short ladder to the green pyramid shaped roof on top of the library. It was something of a challenge getting up there, but I felt like king of the world when I saw this view.