Zombie Safety Series: Bizzell Library

I had some time between classes today, so I started thinking. (A dangerous thing for me to do, I know.)

I was wondering: Which campus buildings would make good shelters during a zombie attack?

And thus the Zombie Safety Series was born. During this however-long-I-feel-like-keeping-this-up-for special, I shall discuss the zombie-safety pros and cons of the various buildings on the University of Oklahoma’s main campus. This week, we have the Bizzell Memorial Library.

I think we can all agree that at first glance, the library seems like a fairly defensible structure. I mean, the place is built like a castle.

The problem is the first floor, and its big, sliding, automatic doors. I don’t know what they’re actually made out of, but I wouldn’t bet my brains on their ability to stand up to a prolonged zombie pounding.

The lower and upper levels, though- those look promising. The doors on all the stairwells are thick and, I assume, lockable. Bizzell is usually pretty crowded, too. This means that, while there are a lot of stairwells that would need guarding, you should have enough people to staff all the lookout stations. What’s more, since Bizzell caters to all majors, you should find yourself trapped with people with a good mix of skills. Hopefully, this means you’ll have some pre-med and ROTC students in the mix.

What’s more, the metal bookshelves could be dismantled and repurposed as decent weapons or blockades.

And we mustn’t overlook the value of all the water fountains and restrooms on each floor. While the meager food stores in the Bookmark might not feed a library full of refugees, there will be plenty of sources of running water… At least until the water shuts off.

You’re probably going to need all that water, too, because Bizzell has one major zombie-proofing flaw: the roof. There’s no way to land a helicopter on the roof for an aerial rescue, and there’s no easy way to get out of the lower levels. (Remember, you’ve given up the first floor.) If you were really desperate, you might be able to climb out of the Canyon Garden, but I wouldn’t count on being quiet enough to do that without alerting the zombies. 

No, once you’re holed up in Bizzell, you are well and truly stuck.

So, Bizzell’s zombie-safety rating breaks down like this:

Cons-

•  Ground floor isn’t defensible
•   No easy escape route
•   Not a lot of food

Pros-

•  Upper and lower floors can be locked down
• Weapons and barricades are available
• Plenty of water
• Other refugees should have a good mix of skills

Overall Zombie Safety Series Rating: 6 ½ out of 11. Safe-ish.