Morgan Library and the Lory Student Center are offering extended hours, study spots and stress-free activities for Finals Week.

Morgan Library will be open until 2 a.m. from Monday, May 7 through Thursday, May 10.
The library will also be offering the Event Hall as a study area. According to Jenna Allen, a college liaison from the library, this is because space is an important aspect of finals week.
“During finals, the library is packed. Students study wherever they can find a free square inch,” Allen wrote in an email to The Collegian. “We can’t make the Morgan Library bigger—but we can open extra space where we have it.”
According to the email, the library had 33,820 visits for last semester’s finals week, along with 961 study room reservations. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were the busiest days, with approximately 8,400-9,400 visits each day.
While the library has offered extended hours and space before, a new addition will be brain breaks, a series of free stress-relief activities from May 2-10.
“These are meant to be fun diversions to give students a chance to breathe and relax for a little while, so they don’t burn out,” Allen wrote. “Sometimes students forget that studying longer and harder doesn’t necessarily lead to better learning … You have to take regular breaks and practice self-care.”
The brain break activities are listed on the library’s website. Options include therapy dogs, crafts and balloon animals.
“Brain Breaks during finals week was one thing the Libraries wanted to try because we can potentially have a positive impact on a large number of students at the moment they need it most,” Allen wrote. “Rather than watch students burn out, we want to improve their chances of success by helping them take care of themselves. If we can get you to laugh for a few minutes, to take a deep breath and relax, that’s our goal.”
The library continues its stress-free theme by also setting up book displays highlighting selections meant to inspire students to take care of themselves. These displays are accompanied by a board allowing students to share how they relax during finals.
Therapy dogs, one of the library’s most popular events, will be available on May 2 from 12-1 p.m. in the Event Hall.
The Lory Student Center, too, will be offering changes.
LSC Late Nite will be from May 6-9. During these days, the LSC will offer 50 percent off food and coffee with extended dining hours— 7 p.m. to midnight. Coffee vendors will be open until 10 p.m.
The vendors will include the following:
- Sunday, May 6: That’s A Wrap and Sweet Sinsations
- Monday: May 7: Subway and Intermissions
- Tuesday, May 8: Garbanzo Express and Sweet Sinsations
- Wednesday, May 9: Bagel Place and Intermissions
Geoff Valdez, assistant director of retail operations for the LSC, called this a good reward to the students for their hard work over the semester.
“The slogan is ‘Fun, Fuel, and Focus. For fuel, we want to nourish (the students),” Valdez said. “Many can forget to eat during the stress of studying.”
Along with these offers, the LSC will be opening their meeting rooms as study spaces. The full list of rooms is available on their site.
“The LSC is 300,000 square feet,” Valdez said. “We like to open that up to options for study spaces during this week.”
Students can also relax with free massages in the Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement Conference Room from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.
The University’s Finals Week will be from May 7-10.
Collegian reporter Charlotte Lang can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @ChartrickWrites.