Marie Tano (PO ’21) is a student employee at The Claremont Colleges Library in the User Services and Resource Sharing Division. This year, she is writing monthly posts sharing her library knowledge and making the library easier to use for students.
If you hang around the library by the time Finals Week begins, you have probably seen signs, publications and flyers advertising Night Owls.
What is Night Owls and why does it exist?
Night Owls is when the library shifts its hours to a 24hr format so that students will always have a study space during finals each semester. As an incentive for many students to actually leave their rooms to study, the library acts like a support system for 7C students and faculty during this time.
Aside from the shift in hours, the library also offers study breaks in the form of craft nights, therapy dog visits, live musical performances and free food and snacks.
This semester, the library will be bringing back:
- ReFuel Cart
- When: Thursday 12/13, Friday 12/14, Monday 12/17, Tuesday 12/18, and Wednesday 12/19 starting at 12:30 a.m. (So if you settle in to study on Wednesday evening 12/12, keep an eye out for the cart to arrive just past midnight!) The cart offers coffee, teas, energy drinks and juices, in addition to snacks like fruit, ramen, oatmeal packets and breakfast/granola bars to studying students.
- How it works: Starting at 12:30 a.m, library personnel will begin on the 4th floor and make its way down and around the library distributing snacks. The only thing that students need in order to be able to pick 1-2 items is a Claremont Colleges school ID.
- Snack Break
- When: Wednesday 12/12, Thursday 12/13, Monday 12/17, Tuesday 12/18, Wednesday 12/19 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
- How it works: Similar to the ReFuel Cart, with the exception that the snack items do not physically travel to you. Come to the Main Services Desk (located on 2nd floor of the Mudd side of the library) during the offered times in order to get replenished, right before dinner.
- Craft Night
- When: On Wednesday, December 12 from 7:00pm – 9:00pm.
- How it works: Offered for any student who wants to take a study break! Come to the Main Services desk during this time to make a free craft.
- Crafts from the past: Felt Flower Magnets, Coloring Books, Origami and Homemade Snow Globes.
- Pizza Night
- When: On Sunday, December 16 from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.
- How it works: Come to the Founders Room (off the North Entrance) during this time to score some free food.
How long does Night Owls last?
Each Semester, Night Owls starts during the first reading day, and ends the last day of finals. This semester, Night Owls begins at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2018, and ends at 1:00 a.m. on Friday, December 21, 2018.
What is it like being in the library past 1 a.m.?
The busiest times for the library are usually 11 p.m. to 3 a.m, usually to catch the free snack ReFuel Cart. While it may seem daunting to still be working on assignments and to still be studying at the library during a time when you should be sleeping. However, Night Owls simply encourages an academic atmosphere free from procrastination. “I really appreciate the reduced stress study environment that Night Owls provides during exam week,“ says Camille Seeley PO’21. Usually, everyone in the library during that time either has an assignment or actual exam the next day. So, an atmosphere of productivity usually exists, one where hopelessness does not thrive.
Any tips to survive finals season at the library?
- Book Study Rooms Earlier. If you know that you plan to be in the library later that night or early the next day, try to book a room before the afternoon of the same day.
- Do Not Leave Your Belongings Out. With the increase in amount of thefts in the library, don’t get comfortable with leaving their items unattended, even when you’re going to the bathroom. Most thieves only need a few moments to make a student’s finals season harder by stealing their laptop or charging cables.
- Come Early for Snack Breaks. The format of the ReFuel Cart, Snack Break and Pizza Break are “first-come, first-serve.” So if a certain food runs out by the time the cart reaches you or by the time you arrive at the station, it is gone until the next study break.
Where can I find more information about Night Owls?
https://library.claremont.edu/night-owls/
Good Luck!!!