Room 3191 Silent Study for Finals

The 3rd Floor West study room (3191) has been divided this semester into quiet and silent study areas. The entire room will be designated as Silent Study for the end of the semester to accommodate the demand during finals.

As a result of the remodeling of room 3250 in support of the Wisconsin Collaboratory for Enhanced Learning (WisCEL) initiative, the library no longer has a study room devoted to absolute silence. In past years, the former silent study room in 3250 was rarely full during most of the semester. The exception to this was during finals time. Therefore we believed that designating one part of a study room as silent would likely accommodate the number of people seeking that type of study environment.

Room 3191 has offered both silent and quiet study areas, designated by types of furniture available. Single carrels and long tables for individuals to study are on the south end of the room, facilitating silent study, with group tables on the north end. Quiet study is defined as keeping voices low and conversations brief. Silent is silent.

For the last two weeks the library surveyed users of room 3191 to determine how the Quiet/Silent split has worked for them. Results of this survey indicated a strong majority of users saying it is either effective or very effective. It hasn’t worked for everyone, however. We know that the loss of a room dedicated to silent study is a disappointment for some library users.

The survey also indicated very strong support for converting room 3191 to all silent study during finals. We appreciate the feedback and will work to improve the joint use of the room next semester.