Any late night visit to the Central Libraries, including Moody Memorial Library and Jesse H. Jones Library, will show studying is no longer an 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. pursuit.  Today’s students need a comfortable area where they can plug in their laptops, spread out their materials, work with their classmates and be able to go there whenever their schedule dictates.

Because of the overwhelming requests by students for study spaces like those in both the Information Commons and the Success Center, planners wanted to implement the same type of design in the recently renovated Moody study space closest to the Harvey Garden.

“Today’s students create their own space for their own learning styles,” said Tim Logan , director of the Electronic Library.”That is why we wanted the new space on the garden level to allow them to define their space with furniture that is functional, flexible and comfortable.”

To best determine which types of furniture are most utilized by students, an assortment of seating arrangements have been purchased including soft seating, movable dry-erase boards, tables and chairs. Workers installed more plugs for laptops along the garden wall, and there is also a Post & Beam divider containing fixed dry-erase boards, a high counter with stools and two different alcoves for group studying.

“If we provide students with this movable and adaptable furniture, then they will have the tools they need and the ability to create their study space at the time and in the way they need it,” said Tim Logan.

Over the next few weeks, library staff will observe how students use these furniture arrangements before purchasing additional seating for the Gregory Garden side of the library. This will be done through direct observation throughout the day and evening as well as observing how the furniture has been reconfigured by students for late-night study sessions. In addition, construction will begin in mid-May on new ADA-compliant restrooms and a second entrance to the enclosed Harvey Garden.