There are secret and quiet study rooms located in the Marriott Library that many students don’t even know exist.
Alfred Mowdood, who works with information services at the Marriott Library, said most students haven’t heard of the Annie Clark Tanner Alcove on the fourth floor as a place to study. He suggests some of the more popular places for students as well.
“If you’re looking for a quiet place, there are niches in the grand reading room, and there’s food on the first three levels,” Mowdood said. “That makes the knowledge commons a great place to eat and work at a computer.”
The library is also opening a new room this month for non-traditional students, particularly for those with children.
Margaret Carlson, a senior in biology, said she prefers to study in the library to help her stay focused.
“At home there are too many distractions, like the TV or my bed, but at the library there are computers and less distractions so I can concentrate better,” she said.
In addition to studying in the library, Mowdood said students should study with a group and write notes in their books to help learn the information. For Carlson the best technique is to reward herself with breaks from studying.
“I try to break up my study time,” she said. “If I study for an hour, I take a half an hour break or try to go for a walk.”
But for some students it’s all about geeking out and getting down to their studies. Tyler Crane, a freshman in pre-occupational therapy, said she doesn’t consider herself a geek, even when she studies at the library.
“I think of a geek as someone who studies all day long and does nothing else,” Crane said.
Carlson defines geeks by different categories.
“There are different types of geeks, like the book nerds and different hobby geeks, [with hobbies] that completely consume their lives,” she said.
Geek Week at the library, offered at the end of each semester, caters to the U’s geek side with free school supplies and food to help students through finals. But Carlson wishes the library offered similar services more often throughout the year.
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