A college campus can be a daunting place for many students, especially new students. Even though we try to make the Thompson Library a welcoming place, librarians and staff know that library anxiety is a real phenomenon. Over the years we have tried many avenues to reach our students - through orientation sessions and tours, ask a librarian services, social media, and therapy dogs visits, yet the phenomenon still exists.
But what about some of the students who know the most about the library? We asked our student employees what one thing that they think all students should know about the library. Here's what they said.
Braylyn is a pre-nursing student and has been working for the library since Winter 2021. She thinks that "before [students] buy textbooks, they should definitely check out the library because we usually have a lot of textbooks available for free." And she's right! Check out our previous post for tips on how to find textbooks through the library.
Catie is a fine arts major and started working for the library in Winter 2023. Her advice to students is to check out the Library's Quiet Room on the third floor as it's a great place to focus and doesn't need a reservation like the study rooms. There is also more comfortable furniture in there.
John (pictured upper right) started working in the library in the summer of 2023; he is studying data analytics and sociology. His tip for students is to make reservations for study rooms at least the day before you need them. "The rooms tend to fill up around mid-day everyday," and booking early will ensure that you can get one.
Jordyn (pictured left) is studying elementary education and psychology and began working in the library in Winter 2023. She wants you to know that "as a student of the University of Michigan, you have access to physical library materials from all three campuses— including the massive mythical libraries on the Ann Arbor campus. Through the library’s website, you can search through the databases and catalogues, and can request to check out materials from [both the Ann Arbor and Flint] campuses.” Getting materials from UM-Dearborn takes a little more effort as you will need to drive to their campus to check out any materials.
Kait is an elementary education major and was hired this Fall semester. One thing that she thinks all students should know about the library is that "there is no such thing as a dumb question here. We are all still learning and there is still so much to learn, so don't be afraid to ask for help."
Kylie began working in the library in Fall 2021 and is studying marketing and graphic design. Her tip for students is not to be afraid to ask for help, "You aren't bothering us; it's literally what we're here for."
Layla is studying secondary education and started working for the library in Fall 2023. Her tip is, "Call or use our website to book study rooms. The rooms are fairly busy during weekdays so booking early will ensure you get that space. You can also book rooms two weeks in advance!"
Madilyn is an English major and stated working for the library this Fall. She wants students to know that they shouldn't try to reshelve books themselves, "we love that you are reading books and you can touch [any book] you want to but we ask that you don't put them back on the shelves for two reasons. One, we like to know what books are being read and which aren't and also there is a specific order that all the books are in and you might not put them back in the right place. It can get a little confusing." You can leave the books on pretty much any flat surface in the library and our student employees will pick them up, record that they were used, and then reshelve them.
Margaret is a nursing student who has worked for the library since Winter 2022. Her advice is to make an appointment with one of the librarians for research help. She says that it is easy to do, but not a lot of people know about it. She also stresses that there is no point in struggling for hours with a research project, when librarians are here to help you and they can save you so much time!
Ngozi is a biology major who has been working for the library since Winter 2022. He suggests talking to the library staff when you have questions, "Be more comfortable about asking questions, usually a lot of students are kinda nervous about that."
Sahithi (pictured lower right) is a grad student studying computer science and has been working for the library since Summer 2023. Her advice is to have students learn how to find books with the Library of Congress call number system. But she stressed that students can always ask for help navigating the stacks.
Sources
Gardijan, N. (2021, January 25). Library Anxiety: An Overview of Re-Emerging Phenomena. Library Philosophy and Practice. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/5021/
Mellon, C. (1986). Library Anxiety: A Grounded Theory and Its Development. College & Research Libraries, 47(2), 160-165. https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/14195/15641.
University of Michigan-Flint
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