DIRECTOR’S CORNER Is it my imagination? Am I seeing things? At any time of day the five large tables outside my office on the west side of the reference room are filled with students prepping for class, commiserating after class, chuckling, napping, poring over notes and highlighting their favorite passages in a textbook. What do I make of this activity and why do I bother to write about it in a column? Something has brought law students back into the library. No matter the weather you can find students in carrels, the small lab, the comfortable chairs, and couches vigorously studying. It is cool to be in the library. I was so intrigued that I took pictures. Granted, Friday afternoon has its empty moments. But after spending four days a week in the library, by high noon on that fifth day, it is time to, excuse the pun, check out. The laptop, iPad, e-book, Nook, and cell phone make it easy to read anything and everything in the palm of your hand. So why are people still coming into the library? Our lives have become gadget driven, and as a result we are a bit more self-centered. These toys, however, have not eliminated our need to be social. Law students still want to interact, share and discuss what just happened in class with their classmates. We are teaching more courses that require collaboration as well as individual study. Many of the law students in the pictures literally live in the library – in addition to studying in the library, they also work there. Now that I have set the stage, enjoy these pictures of students living life in the library. See you in the library! Joyce McCray Pearson, Library Director.
Season’s Greetings
from all of us at Wheat Law Library
For more photos of the packed library, check out page 7!
2
wheat law library - hearsay