Clemens Library designs new study rooms

Clemens Library recently modified two of its study rooms to better accommodate neurodiverse students. These rooms are designed to cater to different sensory needs, with one being a high-sensory room and the other a low-sensory room.

The low-sensory room, located in B-106, is equipped with fidget toys, a weighted lap pad, a lamp with three lighting options and a sound machine. This room, which has no window to the outside, is designed for students who prefer minimal sensory input while studying.

The high-sensory room in B-107 includes the same features as the low sensory room but also has a window with an outside view and light-up tiles. Both rooms have partially frosted windows facing the library interior to reduce distractions.

These study rooms are available to all students at CSB+SJU. The creation of these rooms is a result of the dedicated efforts of Clemens Library staff who have been working hard to understand and meet the diverse needs of their students.

Kelly Groth, the Access Services Circulation lead at the library, discusses the benefits that these rooms can provide.

“People have very individual learning styles. We hope that by providing these spaces, students can achieve success on a deeper personal level,” Groth said via email.

CSB Senate and CSB Facilities were also involved in this process.

A committee from CSB Senate worked with the library to establish what would be offered and provided funding for the additions to the study rooms.

CSB Facilities staff ensured that the additions met safety codes and did not violate any rules.

These rooms align well with the library’s goals to better accommodate the studying habits of students. Gretchen Trkay, director of the libraries, explains this in greater detail.

“The libraries’ goals include actively adapting our spaces to best meet students’ academic, social, creative and entrepreneurial needs. We had been considering how we might give our study rooms ‘personality’ so students could choose spaces that felt comfortable to them,” Trkay said via email.

The initiative to create these sensory study rooms was driven by feedback from students who expressed a need for more personalized study environments. The library staff and CSB Senate worked together to figure out what features would be most beneficial. This collaborative approach ensured that the final design of the rooms would truly meet the needs of the students.

With these rooms being new and becoming popular, there is an increasing demand for them. Groth suggests reserving these rooms to get a chance to use them.

According to Groth, students appear to appreciate the modifications, and it makes her happy that these rooms are helping people feel more comfortable while studying.

“When I walk by the rooms, the tools provided—the ambient lighting, the fidget toys, and the sound machines, for example—are consistently being used. This is great to see,” Groth said.

The library staff want to thankthe CSB Senate for collaboratingwith them and helping fund the toolswithin the study rooms.

“A huge thank you goes out to the CSB Senate for their generous donation of materials and tools in the rooms,” Groth said.

Clemens Library is hoping that this is the start of making study rooms more customized for student experience. Students can book these new sensory study rooms on the library website.