Results May Vary: Brain pain plus Indiana Jones escapades in Hale Library

Q: Why does my brain hurt?

A: Possible explanations and suggestions: You are an architect and haven't left studio for three or more days — go home and sleep. You have been working in a chemistry lab and forgot to turn on the fume hood last time you worked with volatile chemicals — get some fresh air and check the Material Safety Data Sheet for the last chemicals you worked with. You have been abducted by little green aliens recently and they messed with you brain — good luck. You are an engineer and finals are approaching — good luck. You are a dance major — you'll feel better after Dec. 4 when Winter Dance at Nichols is over. You drank too much last night — try to study a little more and drink a little less. You have a serious head injury — go to the hospital. You are a K-State student and it is the week before Thanksgiving — don't worry, everybody had a million assignments due this week; it's not just you. You are a K-State professor and you have read approximately 3.7 million term papers — keep your chin up, you are at least halfway through.

Q: What is the symbolism of the paintings in the Great Room in Hale Library?

A: Your question piqued my curiosity and inspired me to head to Hale Library, whereupon I commenced my detective work. Little did I know, I was in for an Indiana Jones style escapade, complete with sifting through old archives and tiptoeing through ancient buildings.

First, I went to the Great Room. Dear K-Staters, if you have never seen or studied in the Great Room at Hale Library, you should totally add this to you things-to-do-before-I-graduate list. The Great Room was constructed in 1927 and it has to be one of the coolest places on campus. It looks like it jumped off of the pages of a Harry Potter book. All it lacks are candles floating in mid-air.

Anyway, the murals in the Great Room are pretty awesome but just staring at them wasn't going to help me answer your question, so I decided to be bold and ask a librarian.

At this point I must include a quick side note: after researching this question, I am completely convinced that librarians are the most resourceful, intelligent and friendly people on the planet. I'm pretty sure librarians could rule the world if they wanted to. We are lucky they are friendly folk dedicated to helping students and communities instead.

Returning to my adventure: I asked a librarian about the murals in the Great Room. Now, I'm sure this librarian was not an expert on old artwork, but I discovered the great thing about the Ask a Librarian desk at Hale. If they don't know the answer, they will search with you and find resources or direct you to someone who does have answers. It was awesome. The librarians behind Ask a Librarian are surely the ultimate resource for students and faculty at K-State, and you can reach them via instant message — my personal favorite — texting, e-mail, phone or by visiting the desk. I believe Indiana Jones would have avoided many disasters during his adventures if he had the capabilities to instant message his local librarian and ask for help.

The librarian directed me to the University Archives on the fifth floor of Hale. I don't think I even knew there was a fifth floor in Hale Library, so this was uncharted territory for me. I scaled the grand staircase in Hale and upon arriving at University Archives, I spoke with a research specialist. I filled out the paperwork necessary to be checked in and explained what I was searching for. Within minutes, she returned with a file folder full of information about the murals in the Great Room. I had struck gold.

So, finally, I come to the answer to your question: There are four murals in the Great Room, each representing a facet of K-State, and they were painted by David H. Overmyer in 1934. The mural to the left of the door represents "Agriculture" and it features five figures and displays various objects associated with agriculture. The mural to the right of the door is "The Arts." It also features five figures, along with symbols of various aspects of the arts. The violin represents music; the scroll and quill, literature; the outstretched arm, drama; the palette, art; and the mallet/calipers/portfolio, sculpture and architecture. The mural on the far left, displaying three figures with an anvil, a cogwheel, a test tube and an observatory, represents "Science and Industry." The mural on the far right, also with three figures, represents "The Home."

I may not have found the Lost Ark, or braved the Temple of Doom, but I think Dr. Indiana Jones would be proud.