By Lilly Hanson
Libraries continue to hold importance in the lives of students at UW-Madison through the ability to provide study spaces. Hear what students have to say about the use of study spaces on campus. But more importantly, hear how the staff librarians view the use of study spaces as fulfilling a libraries purpose on campus.
Transcript
STUDENT INTERVIEWS: “I only use libraries to study.” “I really like studying in the quiet section in College Library.” “Sometimes, yeah, I just like to go to the libraries to study because I need a quiet spot.”
VO: Libraries continue to hold importance in the lives of students at UW-Madison through the ability to provide study spaces.
VO: While many resources are provided upon entering a library, such as special book collections, online databases and the librarians themselves, Catherine Hannula, the Journalism Reading Room librarian says students tend to focus on finding the best study spot within the libraries.
HANNULA INTERVIEW: “I think a lot of students use us for the before mentioned resources, but also as a study spot. I think is- they know that this is an institution or a building dedicated to their learning specifically
VO: Whether students are studying alone or in a group, there is feeling of community that Hannula says cannot be found within other places on the campus.
HANNULA INTERVIEW: “I think it provides a community space in a lot of ways. A community space to learn together, a community space to talk to each other and learn from each other. Not just even from books, but from students to gather here, there’s a lot of great meeting room like resources here too. But it’s also, like, a space where students can come and it’s—I know this sounds maybe like overhyping but—it’s free. It’s literally hard in this day and age to find places that are dedicated to students and to faculty that are free and that are there specifically for them to come and meet and to find the things they’re look for.”
VO: And despite the shift in campus libraries toward the digitalization of materials, Peter Gorman, the assistant director for digital library and preservation strategies says that ability to provide a study space for students remains on the top of the list for UW-Madison libraries.
GORMAN INTERVIEW: “Our spaces are still very important to the students and faculty on campus as neutral spaces. It could be a good collaborative space it could be good place just to learn, you know, because classes are done here.”
VO: So while students may only use a library as a quiet place to do homework, the UW-Madison campus libraries, and the staff who work there, believe that they are still serving their purpose to the community today.
UW-Madison Libraries 