For years, Anna Lee Robbins has enjoyed going to the Main Library at the University of Georgia to find a quiet place to study. But this year is different.
Thanks to new study rooms, Robbins and her classmate Alyssa Knowles set up their laptops nearly every day after class to go through their notes and work together toward their master’s in international policy.
“I’ve always been a big library person, but it’s a lot better now because we can collaborate,” said Robbins, who said she frequented the facility during her undergraduate studies as well. “It’s such an improvement over what it was, and I’m really appreciative.”
Finishing up her bagel from the Benson Collaboration Café, Knowles said the changes have made the Main Library a new favorite study venue for her. “We can discuss things, and it doesn’t bother anyone else,” she said. “It’s really open, and you can always find a place to focus.”
The summer renovation of the Main Library brings the total number of library group study rooms across campus to 125, and the rooms have proven to be popular since the first weeks of the fall semester.
“The study rooms at the Miller Learning Center are in constant use and the most coveted study spaces we have. Our most recent renovation brings this highly successful model into use at the Main Library in response to the popular demand of students,” University Librarian and Associate Provost Toby Graham said.
The summer transformation of the Main Library’s first floor includes an additional 28 glass-walled rooms for small groups to discuss course materials. The rooms feature workspaces with white boards and power outlets, and the project also includes a larger room designed for groups of 12 to 15 people.
As part of the project, the Main Library is piloting a program to notify students of open group study spaces through a digital sign and web portal. The rooms may be utilized on a first-come, first-served basis, although the Barr Seminar Room can be reserved in advanced.
The renovation, which also includes new study carrels and soft seating in the open space of the first floor, was funded in part by donors. The work complements last year’s opening of the Benson Collaboration Café coffee and bagel shop.
Across campus, the Science Library recently opened a new room dedicated to graduate studies. Known as Gradswrite, the space is a partnership with the Graduate School where students can go to receive help with writing.
UGA’s Libraries feature a variety of study options for students, including communal study areas, quiet reading rooms and individual carrels located in the Main Library, the Carnegie Library, the Miller Learning Center, and the Science Library.
For more information about study spaces in the UGA Libraries, go to libs.uga.edu/study-spaces.