Happy Dead Week, fellow Iowa Staters. It’s time to buckle down, dust off the textbooks we haven’t opened since August, and start praying to some higher being that we will actually pass our classes. However, since it’s still early in the week, there’s time to get cram sessions in before those fatal finals are administered next week.

Most students have a preferred study spots. For some it may be in their room, others in a lounge or coffee shop. But many will claim Parks Library as their studious space of choice. And it is a great one, with many floors which provide space for students to hunker down and get their academic juices flowing. It is located in the heart of campus and has hours of operation that start early and extend into the evening to allow. Most convenient is the cafe on the first floor, fully stocked with snacks, energy drinks and lots of coffee.

Who wouldn’t want to study at the library? Actually, we find that question extremely hard to answer, because those who do choose the library as their cramming spot during this week quickly realize how seam-bursting packed it becomes. It feels like every person on campus chose the library to study. Because of this trend, there are some new guidelines to be set during pack-the-library week.

Simply choosing to study in the library will not automatically make you learn the material faster. If you plan on going there in the hopes that you will feel more motivated than you were the rest of the semester, you are mistaken. You still have to work at studying while there in order to succeed.

With that said, work diligently while taking up space with so many other students. Do not go there because all your friends are going and you plan to sit at one giant table with them all on the second floor and chat all night. Go solo, and go to work. If you do choose a study buddy from one of your classes, and you choose to verbally study, do it quietly and respectfully as to not disturb the many others around you that are working just as hard. Without vigilance, volume can quickly get out of hand and become disruptive.

To those who are trying out the library for the first, or maybe even second, time this week in the hopes of achieving academic success, we wish you all the best. Remember to stay quiet and don’t step on the toes of the seasoned veteran library patrons. And to those seasoned veterans, we also wish you luck, and patience to not hurt the new, possibly inconsiderate, study residents.