Valeria De Miguel Melo
Managing Editor
Ronald Weasley in the Harry Potter series once said that going to the library is just what Hermione Granger does. “When in doubt, go to the library,” he said. This is especially true for college students working hard to excel in their classes and gather as much knowledge as they possibly can during their time on campus. After all, a library is the home to knowledge and experiences printed on paper and made available to the public eye.
But libraries are so much more than that. They are the place where sparks fly after a person discovers their new favorite book, the place where study groups gather to carry each other through testing week, the place where dreams begin and where hours of work are put into a goal to make it a reality, and they are the place reality and possibility merge into one.
For Broward College and its libraries, it is no different. With all its available resources, kind librarians, and study spaces, the libraries at Broward College slowly become the place where students hang out the most. Whether students are working hard, or having a laugh with their friends, the BC libraries are a home to anyone who passes through them.
Just like a home, the libraries at Broward College have many spaces accessible for students to spend their time in. There are study rooms students can rent out for some time to concentrate in solitude and power through their to-do list, or to bring a group of friends to study with, or just to hang out and have a laugh. These rooms let the outside world fade away, creating a space for focus—whether you’re alone or with a group. The reference room at the Central Campus, with its comfortable couches and spacious tables, is ideal for group projects or study sessions. Soft conversation is always welcomed there, which permeates the air with slow, whispered conversations, and low laughs between friends and classmates which mix with the clicking of keyboards and the flipping of book pages to create an academic and quiet musical cacophony. This room also houses individual and cubicle–like tables that have electric sockets to charge students’ electronics. This room is my personal favorite to study in by myself. With noise cancelling headphones blasting Taylor Swift, the ambiance in the reference room is scholarly but also light and friendly, which makes study time feel less like a task, and more like an activity. But this activity can be quite difficult to do if you don’t have a laptop with you. However, the libraries at Broward College are equipped with computers; they are located all throughout the library: on the first floor in the main area, on the second floor, and in the Academic Success Center (ASC).
The ASC is a section of the libraries on campus that are specifically there to help students achieve academic excellence. They help in subjects like math, English, science, and so much more to make sure students are confident in their level of understanding of the topics they are viewing in class. If you’re struggling with a subject or a topic, you can rest assured that the staff at the ASC will work tirelessly to help you. Even if you just want to review before a test, or need some objective perspective on an essay, you are always warmly welcomed at the Academic Success Center. There are different labs for each subject, and each one of them has an incredible and caring staff ready to help students with whatever they are having trouble with.
But the ASC isn’t the only place in the library with helpful and kind employees. The librarians at the main desk in the lobby can help you navigate the online databases on the school website or direct you to any physical book you might need, as well as help you with research for papers. It is very heartwarming to know that every student at Broward College has a place to go and people to rely on, and the librarians deserve a lot of the credit for the warm ambiance of the libraries.
On campus, our libraries are homes for memories, hard work, and human connection. They spark new interests and hold students’ hands through their academic lives. It is truly a privilege to have a building such as these in our daily lives in which information sits at our fingertips, possibilities permeate the air, and altruistic faces are all around you. It is my hope that every student passing through campus finds a place in the book–covered hallways and seeks support when they need it. And remember that if you ever have any doubts, make sure to head to the library.
For more information and
library hours, visit https://www.broward.edu/library/
