The Nelson Poynter Memorial Library new study rooms
Courtesy of Brandi Bottger | The Crow’s Nest
By Brandi Bottger
Just in time for the start of the spring semester, the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at USF St. Petersburg reopened its first floor for business after months of construction.
The renovations to the library include new group study rooms on the first floor, as well as a new Library Administration desk and upgrades to the Student Technology Center.
“The motivation is that the library itself and the first floor is a community space. It’s a space that is, you know, its intended first and foremost by the use of our students, but also others in the community,” Kristina Keogh, the Library Campus Dean, said.
Each of the 12 study rooms are comprised of all glass windows and have tables and chairs included inside. Study rooms also have a television in each room with a designated keyboard students can check out at the admin desk.
Students should also know that these rooms are different than the current study rooms located on all three floors of the library, as they are on a first come, first serve basis, which is making them very popular, yet difficult to secure.
“They are just very popular, especially in the later afternoons and evenings to late nights, students seem to like them,” Keogh said.
Hope Ward, a senior at USF St. Petersburg, said she has had a positive experience using the new study rooms.
“I can’t exactly put my finger on as to why, but I do like that there is glass windows on both sides and you can see where you are in the library,” Ward said.
Ward also explained that she prefers the new first floor study rooms more than the ones at the library at USF Tampa.
“At the Tampa campus, the rooms there [are] like a brick wall and the only thing that’s glass is the door so once you’re there, it’s like four wall and it’s kind of like trapped in a sense,” she said.
Students wanting to reserve a study space in the library must visit the library’s website, click “Study Rooms & Spaces,” and then “reserve a Study Room Online.” The brand-new study rooms on the first floor are on a first come, first serve basis.
The library is also looking for students to join the Student Library Advisory Board.
“We’re asking students if they’re interested in having a voice in the library going forward because we will be working on a phase two (of renovations),” Keogh said. “That includes the furniture pieces, it’s going to include new entry doors and then hopefully, if all goes well, a plant wall.”
“But as we continue to look at the library, we want students to have a voice and kind of decisions on how it will function and different offerings,” she said.
Students who are interested in joining the advisory board can follow this link and complete the application questionnaire to join the selection process for the board.
