Never fear, the libraries are here to help

The first time I entered the library on the campus of Michigan State University, I was overwhelmed! It was HUGE! They had different colors of tape on the floor to indicate where to go to find books. The librarians were scary. I didn’t want to ask for help for fear they would think I was stupid. Needless to say, it took me years to finally ask for the help I needed and when I did it made the library less scary.

Have you ever experienced that in our libraries? If so, you aren’t alone.

According to

Constance Mellon in her article titled, “Library Anxiety: A grounded theory and its development,” she revealed that four primary reasons are to explain why students have feelings of library anxiety. Students: Were intimidated by the size of the library.

Lacked knowledge about where everything was located, lacked knowledge about how to begin the research process and lacked knowledge about what to do.

Does this sound familiar to you? It does to me when I first entered my university library. I had no clue where to go and where to begin when I needed help.

Thankfully, our libraries are not HUGE like the one I went to in my undergrad but they can still seem intimidating. We have two libraries to navigate and find information. It can still be overwhelming, so what should you do?

Take a deep breath. We like to think of the libraries as a “third place” for you: a place to go to study, hang out with friends and relax. The libraries have friendly staff to help you on this journey. We have events in the libraries to help you connect with other students, make friends and discover a new craft to help in your mindful journey. We have signage to help you find your way around, but we also have friendly staff (did I mention that already?!) to help you as well. I love when you come to me for help! I have had the opportunity to learn so much. Your research questions and topics are amazing and give me a chance to think about the world differently. Thank you for that! Plus, I have made great friendships with students who have felt comfortable coming back, needing a break and chat.

The libraries have a way for you to express yourself through the Makerspace. Come in with your idea and we’ll see where we can go with it! Our student workers are very knowledgeable about the resources in our libraries. Talk to them. They can get you to where you need to be.

It is okay if you don’t know where anything is located or where to start your research. Know that we have people who are more than happy to help you out on your journey. And guess what?! We don’t always have the answers either! I’ve had to ask my colleagues to help me out on numerous occasions. You just need to take the first step: take a deep breath, find a friendly face and ask for help. We will help you gain confidence in your research abilities, teach you a new trick and allow you to find your “third place.”

What suggestions do you have for making the library less stressful? Let me know!