5 ways to recreate your library at home
In the coming weeks, as you prepare to complete your final assessments or exam replacement tasks, we know you’re going to be putting in those late-night or early-morning study hours.
Even though we are currently studying or working from home, we know many of you share our love of the campus libraries and miss being there! That’s why we’ve been doing a series of posts on our social media, offering our tips for recreating the library study experience from home. Check them out below and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @deakinlibrary to see upcoming tips!
1. Recreate a silent study area
If you don’t have a quiet place to study at home, try wearing noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs and set boundaries with your family or housemates when you study. White, pink or brown noise are also great options to help you stay focused and block out distracting sounds. You can find them free on apps like Sleep Sound or on YouTube.
Want to recreate the experience of studying in a public place? There are some great study ambience tracks on YouTube such as Coffee Shop, Rainy Day, Study Room and our personal (and maybe a little biased) favourite – Library Sounds!
Some of our picks:
- Smoothed brown noise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqzGzwTY-6w
- Library sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vIQON2fDWM
- Study background music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPni755-Krg
2. Recreate comfy library spaces
While studying at home, it’s very easy to end up sitting at your kitchen table or desk all day. Remember to move around and change up your study space: curl up on your living room couch with your reading for the day or take your laptop outside and enjoy the sun. Importantly, we recommend you save your bed for sleep not study, otherwise you may find it difficult to switch off at night and rest!
Finally, one of the easiest ways to recreate the library’s study environment at home is to pack up your study materials at the end of the day, just like you would when you leave the library. Close your laptop, put away your books and leave the space looking clean and fresh to give your study day a clear end.
3. Recreate library study rooms
Navigating group assignments from home can be tough, especially when you’re used to getting together in a library study room. Video chat is a great way to recreate the collaborative environment and do group brainstorming sessions. Emails and IMs are good too, but nothing can replace the dynamic nature of a F2F conversation – make sure you try at least one video call with your group members to help with planning!
For those who particularly miss group study in the library, change up your virtual background to one of these libraries from around the world. Or better yet, try using one of our Deakin Library campus backgrounds to get yourself and your team in the zone!
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4. Recreate library Reading Nooks
The library has so many fantastic electronic resources. Online articles, e-books and digitised newspapers are just some of the materials you can use to replicate your library study sessions at home. But did you know we also have a range of fiction e-books for you to read?
While spending time at home in self-isolation, remember to give your mind a break and enjoy some non-study related reading. Check out our blog for a list of some favourite digital novels!
5. Recreate librarian consultations
Even though we’re not on campus, library staff are still working every day and available to help answer your questions. Library Chat is the easiest way to get in touch with us, and it’s still available 24/7!
If you are looking for more personalised support, you can reach out to the Liaison Librarian for your faculty to book a video consultation. You can also talk to us by phone or email with a more detailed enquiry.
We hope these tips have inspired you with new ways to recreate the library study experience in your home. Best of luck with your upcoming assignments and exam replacement tasks!