When deciding where to apply to college, millions of students from around the world read countless brochures, meet with guidance counselors, and attend college fairs to help them narrow down the decision. Thousands, lured by a historic campus and vast academic offerings—or perhaps by the lore of Primal Scream—apply to Harvard. But many of these students (maybe even you!) still don’t know some of the finer points of the university. Which is why we bring to you yet another Noice Original:

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Updike as a young'un.

As many of you may remember, famed author and Harvard grad John Updike ’54 died earlier this year. Literary enthusiasts mourned the death of the man whose sharp humor and attentive descriptions captivated readers. Updike’s passing was especially close to home, as he wrote for The Lampoon in his undergraduate years before becoming a nationally celebrated literary figure. Those unfamiliar with Updike’s work, however, may still have an opportunity to learn about it—without a trip to Lamont.

As Boston.com reported earlier today, Harvard now has many of Updike’s papers, which are expected to be kept in Houghton Library. Of course, visitors will not be allowed to check out those papers, but the materials will be available to researchers and students.

“Lined up, the entire archive stretches 380 linear feet. It spans 1,500 books, including Updike’s collection of his own work, published in foreign languages and English, as well as books Updike reviewed – with his pencil marks underlining the text, making notes in the margins, or bracketing a particularly well-turned phrase.” [Boston.com]

Undergraduates, on the other hand, may not often find occasion to visit Houghton Library; Lamont and Widener offer actual study space and books for checkout. Still, Houghton is filled with literary treasures and historical artifacts chronicling both the early days of the novel and some of the genre’s most acclaimed work. Now much of John Updike’s work will have a new home next to the manuscripts of luminaries such as William Blake and Emily Dickinson.

For the time being, we do not know whether Updike’s papers will be on display for public viewing. Regardless, this acquisition may present a valuable opportunity for both top researchers and interested undergrads. If you have not read Rabbit Run or The Witches of Eastwick, not to worry: copies abound in the Coop and many other bookstores. As art outlives the artist, John Updike will not be forgotten—certainly not at Harvard.

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n some semi-cloudy, pleasant day in freshman fall, my future blockmates and I made plans to take a weekend to explore the world beyond Harvard. We were hoping to find a beautiful, not-too-crowded park nearby where we could relax and pass an afternoon or two with leisurely reading. The closest we’ve come has been working on problem sets in the Boston Common.

Oh, lovely autumn. It is rather easy to miss the natural beauty on Harvard’s campus and in the area nearby when you have a constant stream of assignments and extracurricular meetings. But as I was walking back to the Quad from an ill-fated venture to study in Lamont Café—never be deceived that you will accomplish anything significant in Lamont Café—I noticed clumps of crushed berries on my path. They had fallen from the trees lining the walkway. I had never noticed these trees before, and I wondered how many other students had passed that way without noticing them either.

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