Traffic to the NCSU Libraries has tripled in the last few years as students flock to use the latest technology and find a safe, quiet, welcoming place to get serious about their work. This is never more true than during Exam Week, when the Libraries are—hands down—the most active place on campus.
The Friends of the Library and the Libraries’ Student Enrichment Fund came to the rescue of the tired and the weary during exams with an incredibly popular late-night Exam Break complete with coffee and donuts from Dunkin Donuts for 300 of the University’s most dedicated night owls.
On late Sunday night, the first night of the program, over 100 students were lined up even before the smell of the pick-me-up had permeated the Learning Commons. Once the Libraries staff had assured students all coffee was caffeinated and that it would be available every night of finals week beginning at 1:00 a.m., students settled in, took a few minutes to enjoy the treat and to decompress, and then went back to the books.
According to Anna Ball Hodge, Vice President of the Friends of the Library Board, “the late-night break is a great tradition and one the Friends of the Library are proud to support. Our organization exists to provide those key extra special somethings that make the NCSU Libraries a great asset to the University. Sometimes the Friends are providing the resources that build a great research library that helps drive the North Carolina economy. And sometimes, as with the Exam Break, we’re providing a home-away-from-home for our hardworking students. Either way, we’re proud to help.”
