Walking into the Paterno Library is immensely overwhelming. You are surrounded by hundreds of data filled computers, suffocated by endless amounts of books, magazines, newspapers, and documents, and challenged by the fun, yet intimidating revolving door at the main entrance. It was truly an eventful adventure my first trip to the library. As soon as I walked in I had no idea what to do with myself. Where do I go? What should I use? Should I check out downstairs? Should I go to my left? Is it obvious I’m a freshman? I was lost inside the omniscient world of the Paterno library. Luckily, I found a helpful librarian to guide me through the resource-filled craziness. I was instructed on where to go, what to use, and how to use all of the resources that were available to me.

Although the library can be awfully terrifying at first by how much it has to offer, you really gain the true “library experience”. After I managed to sit down and begin researching for my project, the foreign craziness on the library started to grow on me. As I sat there I was enjoying the perfect, yet rare sound of silence. It filled my ears with joy and I couldn’t help but relax, even after my post first library experience trauma. It was so easy to get my work done in this quiet, productive environment. No one coming in and out of my room, no one knocking on my door, no TV or music breaking my concentration, just pure, sweet, silence. I loved it.

Going to the library made me frantic at first, but now that i know the ropes I will be in there regularly. I don’t get my work done nearly as well as I do in the library. The environment literally invites you to be productive and its hard to get distracted while working in there. Not only will I continue to do research and papers in the library, but I will study for tests and exams as well in the future. I am hoping that the library setting will provide a more productive and studious attitude for me and hopefully I will do better on my next test!