As midterms slowly creep up this semester, it’s important to know where to go for intense studying sessions on campus. Owens Community College has many areas to do work, but the Learning Commons (College Hall 170) is especially vital for every student.
The Learning Commons offers many services like tutoring and private nooks for any student to study in. Many subjects are offered for tutoring services, and because the Learning Commons is stationed nearby the campus library, students are able to amplify their learning even more.
Jane Berger, Director of Library Services, had time to speak about what all both the library and the Learning Commons had to offer. She began with its origins.
“Ever since we had a library, we have offered services to help students study. When we moved to College Hall, we introduced the Learning Commons. Before, tutoring was offered all over campus. So if you wanted to go for writing tutoring, you would have to go to Founders Hall. Because of how hard it was on students, this collaboration with tutoring services has made it much easier for them.”
She also spoke about how important it is to the Learning Commons to accommodate to students who need extra help.
“We try to accommodate for students schedules the best we can. In addition to tutoring, librarians can work one on one with students who have questions on specific research and how to find sources. We also encourage faculty here to schedule their classes around being able to come in and help here at the library and Learning Commons. On top of that, we do evaluations at the end of each session to make sure that we hit the mark. The most common comment we get is, I wish I knew this was here before.”
Finally, Berger remarked about what she hopes students get from the library apart from just studying.
“Sometimes, especially our students, all juggle multiple things, whether it’s work or family. They typically don’t just go to school, so we want this place to be somewhere they can catch their breath and do their studying in a comfortable setting. If someone does their best studying standing up, we have standing desks. If they work the best laying on the floor on their stomachs, we have bean bags that they can lay over. We have multiple ways that can accommodate every student. And if you just need a break, we have puzzles and legos laying around for everyone.”
If you want to sign up for any tutoring sessions, visit https://www.owens.edu/tutoring/ for additional info. The Library in College Hall 170 is open:
Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Any additional info about the Library can be found at https://www.owens.edu/library/.
