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Four Best Places to Sleep in the Library

It is finals week and that means you got 5 hours of sleep last night. If those 2 coffees you had this morning aren’t keeping you awake, try taking a nap! The Library is a quiet place to find a couch and get some ZZZs. In this post, find the 4 best places to sleep in the Campus Library and learn where not to sleep.

1.    Second floor open area

These comfy couches are tucked away along the wall and are guarantee to be away from all cold window drafts.

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2.    Study carrels

Use a book as a pillow and no one will stare. A great way to get those 15 minutes of rest.

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3.    Third floor open area

Take a cat-nap on the red couches on the 3rd floor in the open area. No one will mind, it’s finals week!

 3rd Floor open area

4.    Reading room soft chairs

This is my favorite place to count sheep while dozing off. It is especially cozy on a sunny day! And it’s always quiet in the reading room.

Reading Room

Take a rest from finals and find one of these 4 places. The Library is the perfect spot for a nap! But beware of places you are not allowed to sleep.

NOT if front of doors or the elevator 

Doors and Elevator

Taking a nap in front of doors or the elevator can put others in danger in case of an emergency. Plus, people may need to use the door!

NOT in the stacks

Stacks

Besides accidentally tripping passers-by, don’t sleep in the stacks because others need to have access to the books.

NOT in the study rooms

Study Room

These rooms are for studying only. Taking a nap in the study rooms takes away a valuable space for others to use for school work!

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Dos and don’ts of studying in the Campus Library (just in time for midterms)

✓ DO!

  • DO take breaks from reading, writing, researching etc.
    You know the feeling. You’ve been in the library for three hours, reading through your Organizational Behavior textbook and taking meticulous notes. The words on the page are starting to make no sense, you had to go back and read the same paragraph four times, and you’re starting to feel like you might lose control and scream in the middle of the silent reading room. If this is happening to you, it’s time to take a break. When you’ve stopped being productive, there is no sense in forcing yourself to keep working. Get up and stretch, get a bite to eat, go for a walk down to the campus wetland, or what have you. Come back to your work when you’ve given yourself a decent break.
  • DO ask for help if you need it.
    The library circulation staff, technology consultants, and research librarians are here to assist you. If you need help locating a certain title or want to use a textbook for your class, come to the Circulation Desk. If you need help printing or logging on to the Wifi, go to the Tech desk, and if you need help with more complex research questions such as how to find scholarly articles or gain access to databases, see a reference librarian at the Reference Desk.

  • DO find a space that works for you.
    There are lots of places to study in the library, but some may be more suited to your needs than others. If you are looking for a place to spread out, maybe meet with a peer, eat your lunch, etc. and you don’t need complete silence, the first floor is your best bet. There are lots of tables scattered across the first floor that are great for working as an individual or as a group.
    If you want your own space with a whiteboard, TV monitor, maybe even a computer to collaborate on a group project, you want to reserve one of our study rooms. You have to call dibs on these, and they fill up fast so if you know you will need to use one, you can reserve it up to two weeks in advance online.
    Lastly, if you’re on your own and you just want a quiet place to read or study, the Quiet Study Room up on the third floor is where you should be. This is a cell-phone free, conversation free, completely silent zone. If you’re like me and can’t focus on a single thing when it’s noisy, go here.

🙁 DON’T

  • DON’T try to accomplish everything at once.
    Whether you’re behind in your assigned readings, studying for an exam, or working on a project or essay, you can’t expect that your pile of work is going to pull a Houdini and disappear in one sitting. Set reasonable goals for yourself during your study session. Prioritize and then pick one, again ONE, task to complete. If you start out thinking you’re going to get everything done at once a) you’ll end up over-working yourself or b) you’ll get nothing done because you’ll be too worried about everything that you have to get done and you’ll drive yourself crazy. So, be logical and pick one thing to accomplish, then move on to the next thing.

  • DON’T allow yourself to be distracted.
    Speaking of accomplishments, nothing gets in the way of getting work done like those pesky distractions. For example, out of nowhere you have a craving for a taco, your phone is buzzing from people liking your Facebook post, or you can’t help eavesdropping on the people next to you who are talking about the Breaking Bad finale from a year ago. Whatever it may be, don’t allow yourself to be distracted when you’re supposed to be working.  If you need to, move to a quieter place where you can focus.
  • DON’T assume. It’s dangerous
    Here in the library, we have an abundance of resources for our students to use. One of them are Reserve items. Teachers can choose to put required readings and videos on reserve for their classes. Media Reserves and Closed Reserve are kept behind the front desk, and Open Reserves are straight ahead when you come into the library. These items are restricted access, meaning they are for 4 hour, 24 hour or 72 hour check-out and they are first come first serve. So, if you need to use a textbook or DVD for a study session in the library, just be aware that the item you need is not guaranteed to be there. Reserve items have shorter check out because of their high demand. Come check with us at the front desk if you need to use a reserve item and we can help you locate it.

Now go on, get out there and study.

 

Links to the art:
Just one more pageHermione
Do all the homework!
Secret Window Depp
30 Rock excitement

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Ode to a required reading list

oh, how you dishearten me
to see such a long list of
texts to be bought, shipped, read.

there is no hope for my wallet
nor is there hope for my social life
which will ultimately whither away
having been replaced by endless reading.

lest we not forget I am but a college student
bound by ever-expanding tuition rates and
my ever-shrinking savings fund.

what is a girl to do?
how can one remedy this injustice
and find a more sound, economic solution?

just when all seemed futile,
I found the answer in a likely
yet unlikely place.

a simple search within the catalog revealed
each and every reading required was
but a mouse-click away!

whether on closed or open reserves,
in the UWB stacks or in a land far away,
my books were waiting.

Hark! my wallet has been spared!
as for my social life however,
we are still waiting for a pulse.

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Getting Acquainted With the Library!

Welcome Fall 2014 students!

At the UWB/CCC Campus Library, our friendly staff and librarians are ready to help you have a great start to the 2014-2015 school year! The Library is a shared space located between UW Bothell and Cascadia College. Regardless if you are new to campus or a graduate student, here are some (hopefully) helpful tips to maneuvering your way around the library.

Library Organization and Art

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The library has three floors, each serving slightly different purposes. All levels include tables and chairs for studying, restrooms, and water fountains. Artwork specific to PNW and Alaskan Natives (titled the “Rose Collection”) is also scattered amongst the different floors. More information about this intricate collection can be found at: http://library.uwb.edu/arttour/about.html.

First Floor

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On the first floor you will find our library’s media collection, which consists of DVDs, VHSs, CDs, and video games. This floor is also the home to special collections and/or displays such as new books, faculty publications, career/writing/topic books, Reference, as well as Reserves. Upon entering the library, you might notice the long line of three different yet interconnected desks. The area closest to the entrance is the Circulation Desk. If you need to check out or look up any materials, reserve a study room, or ask any general direction questions, circulation is the place to go! Further down in the center of the desk you will find the Technology Consultants. This is an area where students can check out laptops, as well as receive assistance in the library’s large Information Commons space. The Technology Consultants also assist students with printing, adding money to Husky Cards, scanning, and making change. At the far end of the desk are the wonderful Reference Librarians! They are available to help with research questions, accessing and utilizing online databases, and so much more. Each librarian has her/his own field of expertise, ranging from chemistry to art, so if the librarian at the desk is unfamiliar with a particular assignment, you can set up an appointment to meet with your course’s specific librarian.

 

Second Floor

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The second floor of the library mainly houses offices, classrooms, and UWB’s IT Helpdesk. If you happen to look at your schedule and notice that one of your class is scheduled in the library, there is  a very high chance that you will be able to find that room on the second floor. There is also ample study space on the second floor. From the peaceful atmosphere of the skybridge to the open tables and chairs at both ends, this floor is a great space to work freely without needing to remain completely silent. Down the hall to the left of the lobby, you will find the Viewing and Listening Stations. These four carrels are equipped with DVD/VHS players and large monitors for watching films.  (Great for screening media reserves that have to stay in the library!)  They require headphones for audio, and those can be checked out on the first floor at the Circulation Desk or borrowed from Technology Consultants. Talking is allowed on the second floor but because the rooms lack soundproof walls, the noise should be kept at an adequate level as to not disturb classroom sessions.  Circulation student employees also create a special Children’s Literature display each month, located next to the skybridge off of the main lobby. You should check it out!

Third Floor

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The third floor of the library is the quiet floor, where group work and cellphone use is not allowed unless it takes place in a study room. On this floor you will find the library stacks, the largest collection of books. These items tend to have the longest loan period (4 weeks for undergraduate students).  Along with the stacks are four other collections of books: Curriculum, Children’s Literature, ESL, and Folio. If you are looking for a quiet place to study on the third floor, but find it difficult to concentrate, check out the Reading Room located across the skybridge just off of the main lobby area. Aside from this room’s great atmosphere and view of the wetlands, it is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. It is not advised to study in the Reading Room if your activities require making any noise. Other study area options include the seventeen group study rooms, all of which include whiteboards and are equipped with televisions/DVD/VHS players and monitors for laptop plug-ins. For those students looking for a small room to study in alone, there are two individual study rooms just outside of the Reading Room. Please note that all other study rooms require groups of two or more in order to be reserved! To find out more information on how to reserve a study room or review the policies, please visit: http://libguides.uwb.edu/rooms. Computers can be found scattered throughout all areas of the third floor, and can be used on a first come-first serve basis.

Accessing Materials

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All books in the library are shelved using the LC (Library of Congress) Call Number system. After looking up a book’s call number and verifying which collection it is in, locating the book should then be a very quick and easy process. In any case where you are unable to find a book or other item, come see the staff at the Circulation Desk. We would love to help you search or troubleshoot the problem. Because the UWB/CCC Campus Library is one of many libraries in the UW system, students and faculty alike have the option to place holds and have items of all kinds sent between libraries… for free! An item traveling to UWB from another UW library usually takes 2-3 days to arrive, and will sit on the hold shelf behind the Circulation Desk for up to seven days. Many items available for checkout are renewable, and that process can be done over the phone, online, or in person, either with or without the item present (Reserve and ILL/Summit items are the exception).

Next time you are looking for a place to study, head on over to the UWB/CCC Campus Library. For any additional information, please visit the library website (http://library.uwb.edu/) or call any one of our desks. Best of luck getting started with Fall Quarter!

Contact us!

Circulation: 425-352-5340
Technology: 425-352-3145
Reference: 425-352-3146
UW Library Account Services (Seattle): 206-543-1174

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Finals Stretch Week

Finals Stretch Week is here! 

There are many exciting things happening this week, such as extended library hours on Sunday June 9th and Monday June 10th when the Campus Library will be open until midnight.

Also, Campus Canines are back! At last quarter’s cram nights the de-stress doggies were a huge hit so they are back, softer and cuter than ever!

Reference Librarians  will be available in the library from noon to 8pm on Sunday and Monday from 8am to 8pm. While they will not be available in person until midnight on both nights, students can always use the 24/7 online chat service! To access the online chat service, go to http://library.uwb.edu/ and click on the box labeled “Chat Live With a UW Librarian” in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Finals Stretch Week activities include:

  • Monday June 3

    • Free massages, 5-7pm Library Lobby

  • Tuesday June 4

  • Wednesday June 5

    • Zumba, 12-1pm Basketball court

  • Thursday June 6

    • Spa Day and free massages, 11-1pm in Food for Thought
  • Friday, June 7
    • Rock Climbing 4:30-7pm Vertical World Redmond (Contact skathireson@uwb.edu)
Finals Stretch Week activities are co-sponsored by the Campus Library, Cascadia Activities Board, Cascadia Student Government, UWB Campus Events Board,  UWB Student Government (ASUWB), and UWB HEROS.
More info can be found at http://libguides.uwb.edu/content.php?pid=275020&sid=2267129.