WHAT'S UP WITH OUR LIBRARY?

I have had issues with Cooper Memorial Library since beginning classes last year. The Librarians are awesome, and I appreciate the amazing library Staff. However, Lake Sumter State College students do not have a dedicated library. We share library and study space with the community in a public library. Having a dedicated place to complete classwork and study is imperative to successful learning outcomes.

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Many of us have various reasons for using the library space to study. Our student lounge has a TV, games, and friends, and is too loud and distracting to study. Some of us have parents or siblings at home and that can be disruptive to studying. With a houseful of offspring, the sound of children is not conducive to my successful study at home.

Second, the public library hours do not accommodate a college lifestyle. Since Lake County sets the hours for the public library, we LSSC students only have access to our library and our Learning Center during those limited hours. Generally, Monday through Friday is considered a workweek. However, our library is only open from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday through Thursday, and on Friday the operational hours are only 9:00 am to 1:00 pm with a repeat of 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday. Compounding the problem; the Library, the Learning Center, and the Math Emporium are all closed on Sunday.

Maybe you can relate, but on Fridays, I do not have class and I want to sleep in. By the time I get up and ready it is already too late for me to study at the library because they close so early. For some reason, our Math Emporium follows the same schedule, and sometimes it is a choice between getting Math Lab hours in and completing work in another class.

Other colleges have libraries that are exclusively for their students, including our Lake Sumter State College’s Leesburg Campus.

This is the first in a series of articles regarding this issue. If you have any ideas or questions, feel free to talk to me during office hours. Thursdays, 3:15 to 4:00 pm, in The Angler office, Building 2, Room #124. If you are interested in Writing, Journalism, Graphic Design, or just want to be supportive, come to our Weekly Meetings on Thursday from 2:10=3:10pm; held in the Clubs room in Building 2, Room #101.