How many times have you packed your entire life into your backpack and trekked over to the Glenn G. Bartle Library only to find that every single cubicle, cubby and computer is taken? You wind up standing in the middle of the room, looking like a lopsided turtle as your oversized bag weighs you down. And after a desperate search, you give up. The walk back to your place makes you so frustrated that the best thing to do is just take a nap. Once your head hits the pillow, you know your day is done and your productivity went straight down with the sun.
While it’s easy to blame the library for your failing grades, there are places inside — unheard of by students — where open chairs sit, waiting in peaceful silence. When walking into Bartle, the easiest thing to do is go to the PODS, which are filled, more often than not.
Walking upstairs is another option, but like the PODS, finding a spot where your neighbor isn’t on the phone, eating or blasting music through his or her headphones is another challenge. Students often fail to notice the two big black doors next to the bathroom on the second floor. Through those doors lies a wonderful oasis bathed in sheer silence.
The Arabic, Oversized Collection and Hebrew sections — home to oversized books untouched for years — feature a row of desks with outlets on the back of each and an area of couches perfect for sleeping when the Adderall and coffee wear off. Best of all, tall bookshelves separate you and that obnoxious kid who brings potato chips as a study snack.
Kathryn Gallardo, a junior majoring in human development, agrees that this is the best place to bring your books.
“The Hebrew section is my favorite place to study,” Gallardo said. “I like to sit at the big tables near the middle because there are no windows, so I don’t get easily distracted.”
If all else fails and these two hidden places are also taken, do not despair. Head back to the North Reading Room across the bridge on the second floor.
Instead of poking your head into people’s cubicles, asking when they will be done with homework, go all the way to the right and down the stairs to the Fine Arts section. The atmosphere is pure and calm, with cubicles that line the walls, and it’s almost impossible to not find an empty one. Each cubicle has its own outlet, so the excuse of leaving the library because your computer died is no longer viable.
Katie Conrad, a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, prefers another option of study.
“I get all of my work done in the group study rooms on the fourth floor,” Conrad said. “The large table gives me the advantage of maximum space and quiet, allowing me to be as efficient as possible.”
The only drawback to the group study rooms is that they fill up quickly. The best thing to do is come when the library opens, so you’re the first one up there.
Holly Patterson, a librarian in the reference department, recommends the quiet study areas on the third floor.
“Students often come looking for quiet in the areas near the PODS, but the quiet study areas are much more appropriate for their needs,” Patterson said. “The quiet rooms on the third floor are unused for the most part.”
Naturally, some of these places can be hard to find. The information booth at the entrance near the stairs provides handy maps of the entire library, including the Fine Arts section. Studying for finals can be a trying task, especially when you believe there is no place to study. Before you give up and decide going Downtown will be easier than finding an empty cubicle, try these newfound study sections. Your grades will thank you.