With finals coming up, here’s how to pick the best spot to study

With seven different floors, Alden Library has no shortage of study spaces. However, nearly 200,000 square feet of choice can be initially overwhelming for some students. Here are the top picks for optimal study spots depending upon preferences and habits.

First Floor

A hidden gem at the heart of Alden Library is the first floor. While many students find themselves on the second or fourth floors, the first floor features the Ohio University Press, the oldest scholarly publisher in Ohio, and one of the largest and most comprehensive Southeast Asian historical collections in the country.

Those curious about international history should check out the first floor’s wide room filled with artifacts from the collection and comfortable seating throughout.

To the left of the seating area features an homage to Ohio University’s sister university, Chubu University. Here, students can study in a quiet space among a cozy Japanese backdrop.

Second Floor

The second floor opens to Park Place, with large open spaces for group study and collaboration. Many students come to Alden Library for some quiet, others like Sierra Todd, a nursing student at Ohio University, comes to the second floor for a group study setting.

“I study better in an environment when other people are kind of doing the same work,” Todd said. “I have two kids at home, and it is hard for me to sit down and get stuff done, so it’s a lot of parallel.” 
 

If students have any questions about accessing resources or any of the Libraries’ services, the service desk is located across from the floor’s Park Place entrance.

Fourth Floor

Think of the fourth floor as the second’s counterpart: quieter and more suited to individual studying but with similar resources to meet every student’s needs. It is split between two sections: the 1951 Lounge overlooking the College Green and study space overlooking Park Place and Baker Center. Comfortable chairs and desks line the space with large whiteboards on both ends of the floor for dedicated learners.

Seventh Floor

At the very top of Alden Library students will find the seventh floor. Lining Alden Library’s tall rectangular windows on this floor are large wooden tables with plenty of space to spread papers, organize projects or take notes. The seventh floor is also a quiet study space with a secluded atmosphere that is separate from the other floors. It is a great opportunity to focus on work without distractions from the other Library users.

Overall, finding the best floor to study may be just as important as studying itself. People find success in different environments, and it is all about picking the best space to get the most work done before the last couple weeks of the semester.