The university library is not a building intended to accumulate dusty books. We tell you how to take advantage of its services and make the most of it. The university library, that great unknown!
At first glance, the university library may seem like a boring place whose only usefulness is the study rooms for group work and the quiet place it provides for exam preparation, but nothing could be further from the truth. We have at our disposal a hidden treasure full of resources that will help us succeed in our studies and discover incredible things that will make us love our career and inspire our best work. Getting the
eTitle using the library's resources will be easier and more enjoyable. It's worth a try. To know everything the university library can offer us, the first thing we can do is visit its website and familiarize ourselves with it. Soon we will see that there is much more than books and study rooms. In fact, once we use the databases to do our work, we won't be able to do any more without consulting them, just like with the digital magazines they make available to us and the large number of e-books.
The master key: the library card
We won't be able to make the most of the library if we don't request the library card. Although with just our ID card we can use some facilities, if we want to truly benefit from the library, we must request the library card. With it, we can borrow books, request books that are not available to be brought, take advantage of all the online resources, rent study rooms, etc. Come on, without the library card there is no joy, so everyone should get it!
E-book or paper book?
We shouldn't dismiss either option. Paper books are more enjoyable to read because they involve more senses (such as touch or smell) and tire our eyes much less if we have good lighting. E-books are perfect for quick searches and copying and pasting quotes without having to transcribe them. The ideal is to look for complete novels or essays in paper format and read those that are for consultation in electronic format. University libraries have both. They even have the same book in both formats, which is great if we have read something on paper and then want to extract anything that can be useful for a paper or if we have consulted part of the content of a book digitally and have discovered that we are interested in reading the rest.
The undervalued knowledge of library staff
Many times we resist asking for help from the staff, but they are the guardians of all that knowledge and, although some of them may be as friendly as Cerberus, it is normal to come across friendly, wise people who are willing to collaborate and unravel all the magical secrets they hold. Having an ally within the library staff is better than getting a top grade, especially because, with their help, we will achieve many more.
Moments of inspiration
All students have found themselves in that horrible situation of lack of ideas. We have to do an important assignment or, directly,
The Most Important Assignment (known worldwide as
TFG) and we have no idea what to do it about. No idea comes to mind, and when something finally comes up, it doesn't motivate us at all. Well, when we feel that lack of inspiration, it's time to take a walk through the library. And not just limiting ourselves to the sections that contain our areas of study, but also taking a walk through other sections that will surely allow us to discover interesting material that can broaden our horizons.
The library creates community
Because among its users we usually meet interesting people to connect with and because the library organizes activities and events that we must not miss, such as useful talks, interesting presentations, or workshops that help us improve our skills. Who knows, maybe among those aisles full of books we will find our next study partner or even a future colleague!
Library FOMO
The only healthy
FOMO there is: not wanting to miss out on anything the library offers us. If we subscribe to its newsletters and follow its social media, we will be up to date with all its events, new acquisitions, and available resources. If we get used to using what the library offers us, not only will our grades improve and our knowledge increase, but we will also enjoy our career much more. Give it a chance, the library will surprise you almost as much as not having taken advantage of it before.
