The COVID-19 pandemic has decreased how often students on campus are in a classroom — the fundamental place of pedagogy. It’s hard to feel like a scholar when you are handling the bulk of your academic responsibilities in non-traditional academic environments. For students, when half the battle of completing an assignment is going to a place that doesn’t have a TV or a bed to sleep in, the library can be the preeminent space of productivity.

Going to the library puts me in a frame of mind to focus on an assignment I may dread starting because of the assumption that it will be time consuming. If I were to take on these tasks entirely in my dorm room, I would certainly deliver subpar work. The studious atmosphere the library provides isn’t surpassed by too many areas. The Arnold Bernhard Library has helped me in a pinch on numerous occasions.

It would be a poor omission if I failed to mention that the library doesn’t have to be a solitary place for intense work. It can be used as a place to leisurely read, hang out with friends in a study room or get your tech issues resolved in the technology center.

The library isn’t for everyone. Some want some ruckus in the background, which is fine. But for those who need some quiet, let’s shout out the library for being there when we need to get in the zone to write a paper or want to chill on the cushioned chairs.