Life-Changing Discoveries Made at the Library 

Libraries first started to play an important role in my life when I graduated high school at age 16. I was too young to leave the state to attend college, so I enrolled at DePaul University with the intention to transfer to an out-of-state school after my first year. At this time, I was also too young to live in the dorms, so I lived at home with my parents. For this reason and the fact that I had a lot of time to kill in between classes, I spent a very significant amount of time at the DePaul Library.

It was during my countless hours here that I learned what a wonderful place the library was, with so many resources made available at my fingertips for free. Of course, this was before I had a cell phone, let alone a tablet device, so I became very intimate with literature and honed my passion for reading. First, through books, I taught myself sign language; something I had always had an interest in. I also did my share of college research. It was here that I made a decision that would have a very long, lasting impact on my life. Through my reading, I learned that The University of Wisconsin Madison Library, Helen C. White Hall, also known as College Library, was ranked by Playboy Magazine as the #3 place in the world to pick up girls.

This was the crucial deciding factor that made me decide to enroll at UW - Madison. Of course, the great education that it promised and the beautiful lakefront campus carried weight, but Playboy’s ranking of the library was really the #1 deciding factor.—Eric Sheinkop

About Eric Sheinkop

Eric Sheinkop, is a music industry executive and author of Hit Brands: How Music Builds Value for the World’s Smartest Brands. Co-creator of Music Dealers, a global music technology solution that bridges the gap between bands and brands, Sheinkop’s impact on the industry was recognized when he was included on Billboard Magazine’s "30 Under 30" rising young executives who are driving the music industry forward.