The truth is that the M. Carey Thomas Library long ago ceased to be used as a library. But M. Carey Thomas, Bryn Mawr's first dean and second president, wanted her building's name written in stone, and so it was — right on the face of the Oxford-inspired portico.

Happily, the building itself has proved more flexible than its durable limestone label. It now contains seminar rooms, fully wired "smart classrooms," offices and public spaces used by several departments in the humanities. It also houses the splendid Thomas Great Hall, which is used for performances, readings, lectures and other public gatherings. Thomas encloses an open courtyard, called "the Cloisters," which is the site of the College's traditional Lantern Night ceremony. Skinny-dipping in the Cloisters fountain, an unofficial Bryn Mawr tradition, is not required for the A.B.