The Mary J. Booth Library is one of the most relaxing environments, but during midterms it can be one of the most stressful places for students.

With midterms coming up this week and next week, the library will see an increase in the amount of students researching at the computers, holding group meetings and swarming the librarians with questions.

Tina Jenkins, library specialist, said that she is the most surprised with the upperclassmen that do not know how to use the library correctly.

“You would be surprised at how many odd questions I get asked,” Jenkins said. “A lot of people are unaware of where to check out books, but you can check them out at every counter.”

Are students not taught properly how to use the library resources, or is that students do not visit the library enough to learn how to properly use the resources? It can be a bit of both.

Mallory Gulling, a sophomore professional pilot major, said that she learned how to use the library and its proper resources from her freshman English class. On the other hand, Amanda Suggs, a sophomore family and consumer science major, is unaware of how to use the library resources because she never had a class that taught her how to use the library resources properly and does not visit the library on a regular basis. Students who want to learn how to use the library properly can visit the library website that has a list of library tour schedules, said Jenkins.

Another issue that has arrived for students is not being able to find a computer to use. Mike Joyce, a senior political science major, said that he would like to see the library computers improve.

“Although there have been significant attempts to enhance the computer lab experience over the past year, there is always room for improvement,” said Joyce.

If a student can not find a computer, there are more options and solutions to this problem.

Samantha Bennett, librarian, said, “Some students are unaware that there are more computers circulated throughout the library, in the Gregg Lab and in Taylor Hall.”

With the arrival of midterms, the library is a place to relax, study and is there to help students with any questions or problems.

The Mary J. Booth library is open from 8 a.m. – 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. – 1 a.m. Sunday. For any additional questions, schedules and handouts about the library are located at the north entrance of the building.