Exam season is always a stressful part of a student’s life. Every year, students across campus gather study guides, plan study groups and swarm the library for opportunities to recall past knowledge. Last year, however, The Bryan Library Staff tried out a new method: a week of silent study.

The librarians kept the library under a strict “silence” rule during the study week, citing many students’ requests for absolute silence in order to study. After that week, the Bryan Library staff released a school-wide survey to determine the benefits and pitfalls of their new method.

Nearly half of the campus completed the survey (about 43%), and when asked if the silent study atmosphere benefitted their study process, nearly 38% answered yes, 34% answered no and 28% answered maybe. Directory of Library Services, Ms. Lori Sackman, commented on how evenly mixed the results were, furthering, “It’s hard to balance between students that need silence to study and students that need collaboration for study.”

Out of the students who took the survey, only about 31% left suggestions regarding how to improve the silent study method, and the Bryan Library Staff took it to heart. For the rest of the school year, individual seats lining the library walls are for silent study, meant for those students who need the silence. Students may also ask the librarians for noise-canceling headphones for the period, to further drown out any sound.

But to the students who prefer collaboration, worry not. The two-seater tables and the group-seating tables are open to quiet talking, and up to three large groups can rent and reserve the Harden Conference Room, when needed. The MakerSpace is also open to groups of students, and the 3D printing resources are open to all.

Image courtesy of Bryan Library Staff.