Our students have an amazing amount of study aids readily available to them here in the library. There are our books of course, our online resources, and our wonderful librarians. They have their class notes, handouts from professors, the PRAs, and (as always) the all-knowing Google. But perhaps the most underrated of all is the humble white board. Just a step up from ye olde chalk board, the library has numerous white boards scattered around each floor. There are wall mounted boards in each of the group study rooms, large and medium rolling boards (of the standard and glass variety) on the main floor, and a few smaller rolling boards on the 2nd and ground floors. Though they see the most use during mid-terms and finals, this year they have been in such high demand that we have added individual 2’x1½’ boards to our collection.
Need a white board while studying in the Library? Take one, us it, and return it!
One advantage of the white board is that one can write out thoughts and create tables or diagrams unencumbered by the possibility of running out of space or having to use more paper. Another is that using a larger surface for one’s musings can help the big picture surface. So a white board can be useful for everyday studying as well as for making sure you have absorbed absolutely everything you’ve covered in an entire semester.
One of our students has been using one of the smaller white boards in the basement to help organize her thoughts for the better part of the school year.
Another student filled both sides of one of the large white boards during Fall semester finals, leaving a sign that read, “Please do not erase. I will cry.”
There was even an instance where our large white boards spirited to the 24 hour room during the fall semester, but this may have been more for nostalgic fort building than academic improvement.
So the next time you’re studying and can no longer stand to look at a computer screen or just need a different medium on which to compose, pick up a marker. The library’s pallid palettes await you.
