The Library Reference Desk

The semester has come for me to do my Senior Seminar, or culminating project for my major. For Communication, this means I perform my own study and back it up with lots of research. And that means lots of time in the library.

The Hoover Library is home to over 200,000 volumes of books. Combined with the Carroll County Library and the Carroll Community Library, that brings our total to about 700,000 volumes. And if that is not enough, we are partnered with the InterLibrary Loan System, which means we can get books from anywhere in the nation, given enough time, free of charge. Hoover Library also has 60 online databases that can be accessed from anywhere with your McDaniel log in.

With so many amazing resources, where would I possibly start?!

Thankfully, there is the Hoover Library Reference Desk. These are the people you come to whose job is to help you look up research for your project. You simply call or email to set up an appointment during their hours and arrive with your topic and what you want to research. The librarians can then help you find relevant research and help you find information on your topic.

Although this type of intensive researching isn’t always necessary, it is nice to know that the help is there and FREE when students need it. I am looking forward to my appointment and the information that I am going to get out of the meeting.

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Shhh…This Is a Library

My favorite place to go to study is Hoover Library. Not extremely surprising, nor am I the only one. On any given day, the library is usually packed with students trying to get their work done, printing out a paper on their way to class, or just trying to get a coffee from Casey’s Corner which gets its supplies from Starbucks. The library has five levels, and each has a different feel in terms of studying. The first floor is the main lobby where the entrance is, but above and below are two floors which have various characteristics to offer.

My personal favorites are the second and third floors above the lobby. The second floor, on the far left side, has a wealth of study tables lining the wall overlooking the main quad. In each corner of the floor is a set of comfy chairs and a table that study groups can use for an easy, informal gathering location. I study frequently in the chairs in the front right of the second floor, but lately I’ve been using the tables on the far left because I’ve been falling asleep in the chairs while reading.

The third floor has a huge round desk that rounds the central circle of the library. This is usually a pretty quiet floor since nobody wants to walk all the way up to the third floor. I like to go here when I don’t want anyone I know to disturb me when I’m studying, and my friends all know not to bother me if I disappear up to this floor. I cannot study if it is very loud, and I cannot study if it is completely quiet so the third floor is nice for me since it is mostly quiet but you can catch the residual noise from the second floor every now and then.

The floors below the lobby are very quiet. I don’t like studying on these floors because the quiet always puts me to sleep without fail. While “L” floor is the designated quiet floor, “LL” floor tends to be pretty quiet also. These floors are mostly underground (even though none of the library is technically underground since it is built into a hill) but they very much give that feel, and so they have the feel of being tightly contained and alone and are definitely good study locations for people who enjoy the quiet.

Everyone tends to pick their own favorite study location within their time at McDaniel, and it’s funny which locations some people choose, and why they choose them. It all just depends on what conditions people look for when they’re studying and where they can most closely find that.

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