Barks at Parks returns to the library for dead week
Cheer smiles as an Iowa State student pets her during Barks @ Parks held in Parks Library on April 24. Held every semester during the week before finals, Barks @ Parks lets students pet therapy dogs to relieve stress and take a break from studying for finals.
April 24, 2017
Whether a student is in need of alleviating the stress of a growing to-do list, taking a break from studying or enjoying some quality time with a furry companion, Barks at Parks is back to help students relax during dead week.
All week from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the upper rotunda of the second floor at Parks Library, certified therapy dogs will be available to help students unwind.
“We kept running out of space so this is the biggest space we have in the whole library — the upper rotunda presidents gallery — and we pull all the tables out, put [the students] in a circle and all afternoon the dogs go around in circles and the kids get their love,” Ed Goedeken, collections coordinator at Parks Library, said.
For some students, Barks at Parks offers an opportunity to embrace something familiar that has been missing during their time on campus.
“A lot of kids have pets at home, and they left their homes to come to campus and they left the pets they love. … This gives them a chance to connect with an animal,” Goedeken said.
Coming to Barks at Parks during dead week has even become a tradition for a few students like Lindsey Baldus, sophomore in mathematics.
“I’ve come every semester because I love dogs,” Baldus said. “I had forgotten it was this week, but I was downstairs working and heard a dog bark, which reminded me.”
But it is not only the students who enjoy Barks at Parks. The volunteers who bring their dogs, such as Jill Armentrout, savor the event as well.
“This is my fourth trip [to Barks at Parks] and first time with Olivia,” Armentrout said. “It is really fun for me, … especially seeing dogs make people smile.”
Armentrout brought her 2-year-old siberian husky named Olivia.
Olivia is certified by Therapy Dogs International and goes to other events, like ones at the hospital or reading programs for kids at the library, Armentrout said.
The staff at Parks Library also volunteer their time to help with the event.
“All throughout the week there are library staff who volunteer an hour at a time, who come and work with the crowd and just to be here and help,” Goedeken said. “It is a really low-key thing, and everyone just has a great time.”
The event is open to all students. Just follow the signs, or maybe the sound of a bark, to the upper rotunda at Parks Library.
