The library is busy, but are students?

It’s only Thursday, but raise your
hand if you have already suffered
from a library hangover.

The fall semester is winding down,
and James Branch Cabell Library has
been open for 24 hours every day
since Sunday, Nov. 25, for Library
Lite All Nite.

For those of you who don’t know,
a library hangover is the terrible
morning-after haze that follows many
hours spent working on final projects
and papers. You don’t remember
anything you did the night before or
how you got home – all you know
is you still have assignments that are
far from finished.

In my case, the last two nights at
“Club JBC” have involved staring
blankly at my computer screen under
the glow of fluorescent lighting,
wishing desperately that somehow
my assignments would write themselves.

In the two and a half years I have
been at VCU, I have never frequented
the library so much until this semester.
Mostly this is because my major,
broadcast journalism, lends itself
more to late nights in the edit bays at
the T. Edward Temple building.

Usually, I go to the library whenever
my Internet connection, computer
or laptop is on the fritz and
out of commission. On a handful
of occasions, I’ve visited the Media
and Reserves on the third floor to
check out DVDs. But this semester,
I have had more research papers to
write, and my Internet connection has
become increasingly undependable.

All sorts of personalities can be
found at the library, too. As soon as
you walk in the front door, it’s hard
to miss the line of students who
come strictly for their Starbucks fix.
Some students find they are more
productive in the library than they
would be in the comfort of their
bedrooms. And although many people
are actually being productive, the first
and second floors are scattered with
students who don’t come to the library
to study, but rather to socialize with
their friends.

Just as there are different types of
people with different reasons to come
to the library, everyone has a different
way of doing one’s work. Some people
take a more organized, methodical
approach, while others, like me,
fidget and wait for inspiration to
strike. For those who can accomplish
something substantial only while in
the library, the extended hours are
an early holiday present.

But is it necessary for the library to
open for 24 hours during the regular
semester, aside from the fall and
spring exam weeks? Probably not.
In the end, we all find some way to
get our work done, anyway.

However, there is definitely one
major benefit of Library Lite All
Nite: More students actually use the
library computers to work instead
of popping in between classes to log
onto Facebook.com.