Have you read the books associated with those names in the Front Reading Room? The door is right by your desk, and is accessible to you even while the Entranceway is still dark. If you've already read them, take another look and see if they point you towards any potential new avenues of research!
Wow! I'm basically the queen of missing obvious, usually early-game mechanics and features. I think it would have helped me a little bit if it were more obvious which doors were blocked, but I also could have clearly done a more thorough job of looking around!
I'm getting into it now and am really enjoying the game- thank you for taking the time to reply and helping me continue!