They offer inspirational advice, ponder philosophical questions and, sometimes, just show off a funny picture.

The doodles that students leave on whiteboards throughout the Perry-Castañeda Library mirror the anxiety and optimism of Longhorns facing final exams, and the artwork offers a unique look at today’s student body.

“They show the life of the library,” UT Libraries project specialist Frank Meaker says. “This is their lives. These drawings reflect the students’ day-to-day activities — especially during midterms and finals.”

Some of the doodles are quickly sketched, while other masterful pieces are carefully drawn. Some boast burnt-orange pride, and others shows frustration with long study sessions and looming tests.

About a decade ago, Meaker began noticing and sometimes photographing the whiteboard doodles and drawings during daily maintenance checks. After he started taking the pictures, @utlibraries began posting the photos online. The collection now includes more than 1,000 photos of whiteboard doodles that Meaker has photographed over the years.

Want to see more whiteboard doodles from PCL? Check out these albums from UT Libraries:

Read more about the whiteboard art:

With more than nine million volumes, UT Libraries oversees the nation’s fifth largest academic library and 14 libraries at The University of Texas at Austin.

