Secrets, Secrets are Such Fun

Circulation Desk

The Elizabeth Huth Coates Library at Trinity University appears to be fairly straightforward and lacks excitement. However, several secrets fill the brick walls of the library.

One of the biggest secrets of the library is the existence of library lockers. These lockers are located on the second and fourth floors. They are tan and reasonably sized. Students with these lockers often fill them with books, notes and the occasional study or nap time blanket. The lockers require a key for entry. The positive aspects of the lockers is that students do not have to carry their books all over campus, it requires them to enter the library, and it provides a relatively secret place to stash odd objects. The negative aspects of the lockers include the noise created when accessing them, forgetting important items in the library after it closes, and potentially leaving a snack that could rot. Students can check out a locker at the circulation desk. The library staff allows the students to choose their preference of the second or the fourth floor. Students are then presented with a key that costs twenty-five dollars if lost. The lockers can only be checked out for the duration of the semester.

Another secret of the library is the study gnome. Students may check the study gnome out at the circulation desk. He is only available for a brief period of time, but he can add a little fun to study time. The study gnome may be used by the lonely, focused students on the first floor or the noisy students of the fourth floor.

Most Trinity Students know that the Special Collections section exists. However, very few taken advantage of this study location. The couches are comfy and regal. The atmosphere of Special Collections is conducive to scholarly pursuits. While there are some limitations on what can writing utensils can be used, Special Collections provides a small, uninhabited study place.

The secrets of the Trinity Library can give students an slight advantage and provide them with a chuckle.

Elizabeth Huth Coates Library

Circulation Desk by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.


Elizabeth Huth Coates Library by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Library Hot Spots

The Trinity University Coates Library has a number of study and social hot spots.

TU Coffee Mug

In regards to studying, there are several populated areas on almost every floor of the library. On the fourth floor, every comfy, blue couch is normally occupied at during the day. Both study groups and individuals frequent the fourth floor couches. The corners of the fourth floor are also normally occupied throughout the day. The computer area in the back of third floor usually does not have too many open terminals. There are individuals printing things out last minute or quickly checking their email. Study groups can be found here as well working on projects that involve some type of computer program. On the second floor of the library, a number of students can be found in the study rooms or sitting in the chairs that are visible as soon as someone reaches the second floor. On a normal evening, second floor study rooms are hard to come by. Only the brave and intensely focused students take up residence on the first floor.

The library has only a few social hot spots. Java City is by far the hottest spot for social activity in the library. People congregate there to study, but it is mostly a social setting. The delicious wonders of the coffee and snacks tend to bring students together. This is a great spot for casual breakfast with a friend or quick coffee study break with classmates. Many sorority rush dates take place. Java City is by far the loudest part of the library. The couches on the third floor are another social location. Normally, the students that frequent these couches are trying to study, but are looking for distractions. This area is riddled with quick conversations of acquaintances or in depth chats with friends.

The Trinity University Coates Library is not lacking in social and study hot spots. 

Trinity Travel Coffee Mug by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

Student Behavior in the Library

Studying in a 4th floor corner

The Trinity University Library is an establishment of education. However, a variety of student behaviors can be observed on a daily basis. Each floor of the library has a particular behavior association. The type of study behavior varies from student to student as well.

The location where a Trinity student studies reveals a little slice of their personality or current mood. The first floor of the library is fairly desolate. The type of behavior on this floor is intensely focused.Those students that need extreme quiet and to be completely alone can be found somewhere on the first floor. More students study on the second floor than the first floor. The second floor is a little louder than the first floor, but not by much. There are study rooms on this floor and many groups can be found writing on the dry erase boards. The third floor of the library is where students work on group projects or hang out if they are not really there to study. This floor is normally the loudest and where the least amount of work gets accomplished. Java City is located on this floor which encourages group study and noisiness. The fourth floor is fairly popular. This is probably due to the comfy couches and cool study corners. This floor is not as loud as the third floor, but it is a mixture of quiet chatter and focused studying.

Group Study

Two distinct types of studying occur at the library: group study or personal study. Group study is usually very serious or fairly relaxed. It includes studying for tests, working on projects, or working on a difficult assignment. Personal study has several different forms. Students can either spread out their study items or keep them contained to a small area. Some people cannot study without their headphones. Headphones can either indicate focus or the need for certain background noise. Students study in a variety of positions. Some lay on the couch, curl up into a chair, or bent over a desk.

The ways of studying the Trinity University Library are endless.

Couch Study Time

4th Floor Corner by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.


3rd Floor Group Study by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.


4th Floor Study Couch by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Students Services at Coates Library

Circulation Desk

Unknown to most Trinity students, the Coates Library has a variety of student services. They range from technology to one on one help.

Normally, the only item that you can check out from a circulation desk is a book. At Trinity, books are available for checkout, but laptop computers and headphones are also available for a certain time period. Students can acquire keys to the study rooms at the circulation desk as well.  The students at the helpdesk are quite knowledgeable and can answer most questions that any student has. If they cannot answer it, they can find someone that can help you. The various librarians are always willing to help students.

Along with laptops, there are many computers located on the third and fourth floor for student use.  Printers and copy machines are available in the library for a small fee. They are located on all floors. If a student’s printer breaks down the morning that their paper is due, the library is the place to go. The CLT is located on the first floor of library. It consists of four labs: Studios@CLT, Digital Audio Lab, Media Presentation Lab, and Video Conference Center.  At the CLT, student cans use high-end Windows and Mac workstations, audio and digitizing capability, and a range of multimedia authoring and editing software.

The Special Collections area is available for all students to use. It is located on the second floor. There are many great and ancient resources accessible in one of the prettiest rooms on campus. On the third floor, students can visit the Writing Center. The workers at the Writing Center can help edit papers as well as give commentary on the writing. Research peer tutors are another great asset at the Writing Center. 

Writing Center by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.


Circulation Desk by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

History of the Trinity University Library

The Trinity University Library opened shortly after 1869 in Tehuacana, Texas. When the university moved to the Waxahachie campus in 1902, the library was placed on the fourth floor of the Administrative building. The books were placed in no particular order and there was not a cataloging system in use. In 1942, the library was relocated to San Antonio, the new home of Trinity University. Located on Stadium Hill, The George Storch Memorial became the new location for the library in 1949. This building became the main area for information on the humanities. Information on the sciences and special collections were contained in the Chapman Graduate Library which began in 1963. In 1971, the university decided that all of the libraries needed to be consolidated into one location. The Elizabeth Coates Library opened on March 20, 1979. It consisted of two floors. In 1983, another level of the library was completed. In 1997, the fourth and final level was completed.

The first librarian at Trinity University was Theresa Roberts Simms, wife of a Trinity professor. She began to arrange the books and offered help to students. When Trinity University merged with the University of San Antonio, their library collections were combined. Mrs. Simms, along with the help of students, recatalogued the entire library. Mrs. Simms was the only full time library worker until the end of 1946 when the library staff was expanded.


On the staircase from the third floor to fourth floor, there is a unique collage mural by James Sicner. He began the project on March 1, 1979. The mural was completed on September 30, 1983. It is fifteen feet by eighty feet which makes it the largest of its kind in the world.



When the library was first established, it had two hundred and fifty volumes. In 2006, there were over 927,000 volumes. The library has also expanded by adding digital media to its vast collection. Today, the library is large and undergoes expansion often. The history of the Trinity University library is definitely one of interest and is constantly being added to.

Elizabeth Coates Library by Laura Kalb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.