The library is the heart of a university—its collections, services, and study spaces are central to every student’s educational journey. Let’s take a look at some famous university libraries around the world.

Oxford University is famous for its academic programs, but it’s also known for its outstanding libraries that are said to include more than 11 million books. The Old Library at Magdalen College is the crown jewel of the university’s library system. It contains more than 20,000 rare books and manuscripts. Nearly all of these volumes were published before 1800.

The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997, which has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum. But it will only take a glance to be attracted, as it is a sight to remember. The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can’t really see the actual library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill.

The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It contains more than 200,000 of the library’s oldest books. Treasures of the library’s extensive collection include a rare copy of the 1916 proclamation (宣言) of the Irish Republic and a beautiful 15th century harp (竖琴).

Opened in 2011, the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago is designed with a grand glass roof, perfect for staring out when you are tired. The library can hold around 3.5 million volumes through its underground automatic storage system. If you are not already impressed, the librarians, robotic cranes, will knock your socks off. They can locate and bring you any book within an average time of 3 minutes.

A spring break vacation is the perfect opportunity to let off some steam before the stress of finals and graduation. But for a destination to be spring break-worthy, it needs to be affordable, accessible and popular. Below are some suitable destinations for you to go to.

South Padre Island

South Padre Island is famous for its nonstop beach, pool parties, concerts and cheap hotels. While this Texas resort town is a popular family-friendly vacation spot, it welcomes college students in groups during the month of March. Keep in mind, the beach becomes quite crowded, so it is best for people looking to party rather than relax.

Daytona Beach

Though this northeast Florida city doesn’t offer stylish nightclubs and high-class hotels, it does provide spring breakers with plenty of inexpensive lodging and dining choices. Jump in a car and take a drive on the sand (Daytona is one of the only places in the world where it’s allowed), or rent water sports equipment like surfboards and you will have a wonderful experience on the water.

Playa del Carmen

With an admirable location along the coastline of Mexico’s Riviera Maya and a fun nightlife scene, Playa del Carmen is a popular spring break vacation spot among college students. You can relax on the soft sands, admire the blue waters and enjoy tropical drinks by the pools by day. Once the sun sets, you can head to the clubs to dance to everything from DJ beats to Latin music.

Panama City Beach

Situated in northwest Florida, about 47 miles east of Destin and around 100 miles southwest of Tallahassee, Panama City Beach is perhaps best known as a spring break destination. Walking through 27-mile pearly white beaches is what initially draws many to this vacation haven, but that’s not all PCB has going for it. Bordered on either side by two state parks and home to one of the largest sport fishing fleets in the world, not to mention one of the world’s highest concentration of bottlenose dolphins, PCB is a nature and wildlife lover’s paradise.

This week sees the opening of the Venice Biennale, an 8-month-long festival of art and culture staged every other year. With the main event running from April 20 to November 24,2024, here's our pick of what to see if you head to Venice.

Willem de Kooning e l’Italia

One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Willem de Kooning is the subject of a major exhibition(展览) exploring his time in 1959 and 1969 and the impact it had on his works. The show will bring together around 75 works, making this the largest   presentation of the artist ever organized in Italy.

Rise of the Sunken Sun

This photography exhibition by Greenlandic artist Inuuteq Storch marks the first time that the Danish Pavilion has showcased both a major exhibition by an artist from Greenland and a presentation on photography. With over 200 images, Storch's project aims to tell the Greenlanders' history, not seen through the visitors' eyes, but through the Greenlanders' own.

The Rooted Nomad

This exhibition will examine the life and works of M. F. Husain, a modernist painter called “India’s Picasso”. Celebrating his talent as an artist, thinker and writer, the show exhibits his paintings, photographs, letters and parts from his films and poetry that shaped his vision of India as a richly layered cultural nation.

The Arch within the Arc

The exhibition in Italy of Houston-based artist Rick Lowe takes place at Palazzo Grimani, home to a large collection of 16th-century Greek and Roman sculpture(雕像). Inspired by the architecture of the Museo di Palazzo Grimani and the experience of moving through Venice and its waterways, the exhibition features new paintings by Rick Lowe that reflect his consideration of the arch(拱) in architecture.