Having a library is essential to a college student’s life.

There is the obvious reason of studying, but having a library serves numerous purposes. DU has been robbed by not having a library since July 2011, students have been robbed of these advantages. The freshman and sophomore classes suffer doubly.

Beginning with the obvious, finding a quiet place to study has become an arduous task, especially for those freshmen living in Centennial Halls or J-Mac. While some students look to the lounges or common areas in these buildings as places for studying, they may find it already occupied or even disturbed by noise emanating from other residents. We all understand how wild the dorms can get when the sun goes down.

I personally know that there are times when I’m trying to study in the lounge and people will bring their laptops out and start watching a movie without headphones. There are numerous other examples of students playing games or chatting loudly in these places while others are trying to study.

Trying to study in the dorm room itself proves useless, as the temptation to become distracted is too high.
For me, there have been many times where I’ve been reading a textbook or writing a paper and told myself that I could take a five minute break and lay down on my bed. That five minute break usually turns into a couple hours of sleeping, if not more.

The same is true with things such as the Internet, books and television when there is work that needs to be done. Having exhausted these options, freshmen are forced to look elsewhere like Penrose at Driscoll. This space may be a viable option for some, but it becomes incredibly distracting when there are people constantly passing by and talking.

In addition, it does not have that same feeling as an actual library. There is limited space, and additionally, Penrose at Driscoll is essentially a gymnasium-style room without windows.

It is an echo chamber and thus susceptible to noise from Driscoll should one sit close enough to the door.
Upperclassmen have more choices when it comes to studying, such as their own apartment or suite area in which to study, but they also suffer from not having a proper library.

Group projects come together better when there is a central library with study rooms. In this regard, group members can get together at one spot, not have to worry about the noise of, say, a coffee shop, and work productively sans distractions.

There is also the experience, although an unfortunate one, of doing a dreaded, red-eyed all-nighter.

With a library, though, there is shared experience with all those in the facility, so there is a feeling of a common struggle. This feeling can invigorate procrastinators and make students actually work.

In my experience, pulling an all-nighter alone was difficult because I kept feeling my head start to droop and eyes close which I think would have been eliminated if I were to be around at least a couple other people.

Having that single, central location for a library is essential to the identity of the student body.

The common goal of being productive is seen throughout the library at any one time and can possibly be a greater motivator to get work done.

Fortunately, students will only have to wait a little while longer until they finally get that library back.

The Academic Commons at Penrose Library is set to open on Mar. 25, in time for the spring quarter.
Until that day, we’ll have to scavenge for a calm, quiet place to study.