By Ethan Shea

Everyone knows those cubicle desks lining the outskirts of Falvey’s third and fourth floor stacks, but did you know those desks have a specific name? That particular type of desk is actually called a carrel, so here in Falvey, we’re transforming the CARITAS Commitment to the Carrel-tas Commitment!

Decorated Carrel in Old Falvey

To thank the patrons of Falvey Memorial Library for honoring our Carrel-tas Commitment by wearing their masks properly, Falvey will be coordinating daily raffles that culminate in a grand prize drawing. This grand prize gives you a chance to win access to the Falvey room 206 study suite for you and five of your friends during the entirety of finals week (Dec. 10-17)!

If you mask like no one is watching, go ahead and grab a raffle ticket at the reading room or main entrance, write your name on it and place it into a prize bin. Only one entry per person is allowed each day, but you can enter the raffle daily.

By entering any of the daily drawings, you are automatically entered into the grand prize drawing, but keep in mind that you can only win a daily drawing once. Everyone will have the opportunity to win the grand prize regardless of whether they already won a smaller prize or not.

The daily drawings will be picked on Dec. 1-3 and 6-9. Winners will be notified the following morning.

Winners of the daily drawings gain access to room 206 in Falvey on the day they win from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next morning.

Thank you again for wearing a mask and keeping our community in good health!

Ethan Shea is a first-year English Graduate Student at Villanova University and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Memorial Library.

No exams or assessments. No assignments due.

Welcome to the spring semester Reading Day, the pause between the finish of classes and the start of finals. Whether you work ahead on papers or study for upcoming tests, everyone can agree it puts a nice bow on the in-class part of the semester.

In a typical semester, Falvey would welcome the community to an epic finals event. Think dessert bars and unlimited games!

This year, to help students de-stress, we are distributing fun finals kits today, 2-4 p.m.!

Shawn Proctor, Communications and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library, suggests Speakers’ Corner as a great study space for finals.

Photo courtesy of Shawn Proctor, Communication and Marketing Program Manager.

Happy Friday, Wildcats!

Monday, May 3 is the final day of classes. Looking for last minute research assistance? Contact Falvey’s subject librarians Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Electronic collections (articles, e-books, and more) are accessible through our website 24/7.

Looking for a quiet place to place to study? The Old Falvey patio (and library lawn) are perfect spots for reading. The library building is open 24/7! A wildcard is required to enter, and a mask must be worn while visiting. Information services are available at the service desk and online Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Be sure to return library materials borrowed by Tuesday, May 11. Students will be billed for materials not returned by this date. Login to your library account and view your checked out materials. Questions? Email circ@villanova.edu. 

Good luck on finals, Nova Nation!

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. 

Graduate assistant, Jenna Newman, is pictured raiding the refrigerator at her parent’s in her Villanova mask.

Hope you all had a great time celebrating with friends, family, and food yesterday! Now, raid your parent’s refrigerator for all the good left-overs and settle in for some finals study time. If you’re still near campus, the library is still open for Wildcard Access from 6 a.m.-12 a.m., and you can find great digital resources Falvey’s librarians have put together here.

What’s your go-to Thanksgiving recipe and what tastes the best as left-overs? Let us know below!

Thanksgiving may be a little more stressful this year given that finals are upon us, but like I’ve said before, balance is important, especially during finals season. Today, I want to break down a couple of different ways to structure your to-do lists and study times. Everyone studies differently, and it’s important to find the way that works best for you. This list is definitely not all-encompassing, but if you’re looking for a new study plan, this might be a good place to start looking for inspiration.

Keep your to-do list to no more than 10 things. Or five things, or three things, or whatever works best for you. When I have a list of everything that I need to accomplish and it’s over 10 items, I find myself getting overwhelmed. That’s why I keep a list of the 10 most important things that need to be done and that’s my to-do list that I tackle for the day. I have a master list of to-dos somewhere separate and then when I do my prep-work for the day, I pull that out to pick out the top 10. 

Put self-care items on your to-do list. Every day I add items like free-reading for 30 minutes, workout, and do my daily devotion to my to-do list. That helps me make self-care a priority and forces me to take a break from homework each day, while still feeling like I’m accomplishing something by crossing an item off of my to-do list. That being said, make sure everything on your to-do list isn’t self-care related because unfortunately your assignments and exams won’t complete themselves. Find the right balance for you. 

Prioritize your top three to-do items. At the top of your to-do list write down three nonnegotiables: three things that absolutely need to get done before you go to sleep at the end of the day. This helps prioritize what is the most important and helps you not procrastinate by doing other tasks, but not the paper that’s due at 11:59 p.m. When at the end of the day you’ve crossed off those three things, you know you’ve accomplished a lot and made good progress to your overall goals. 

Grow a tree to stay focused. If you haven’t heard of the app Flora before, it may be something worth checking out. Flora is a study app where you grow trees and other plants if you stay focused for a certain amount of time. If you stay focused for a certain amount of hours, or want to pay for an in-app purchase, a real tree will be planted because of your study time. If you pick up your phone and exit the app during your study time, the tree will die. This app only really works if the thought of killing even a hypothetical tree makes you upset, but I have found it to be helpful. You can also set up group focus times with your friends through the app.

Change up the scenery. I know changing the scenery can be hard when everyone is pretty much just stuck inside their houses all day everyday. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative and find different places to get work. Sort out your tasks based on things that you need to do sitting at your desk versus things that can be done curled up on the couch. Then, when you feel yourself starting to become unproductive, change scenery and try working someplace else. Sitting in a different place or having more natural light might be all you need to be productive.

Rotate tasks you’re working on. As much as I wish I had the focus to sit down and study for five hours for one exam, that’s just not the case. When my brain is scattered and cannot focus on one task for very long, I set a 20-minute timer and then just rotate down my to-do list. If I haven’t finished my top three to-dos for the day yet, I’ll rotate between the three of those things for 20 minutes each until I get one done. Usually, I’ll throw in five-minute breaks either between 20-minute sessions or when I finish a task as an added bonus. It helps me make progress on lots of my to-dos and cuts down the time I’ll need to spend on them when I go to finish them up later. 

Most importantly, listen to yourself and do what works best for you in the moment. I’ve used all of these different study tactics and organization methods depending on the semester, month, week or even hour! Just because something doesn’t work for you at one time, doesn’t mean it’s something that will never work. Be patient with yourself and find a routine that helps you crush your study goals!

Jenna Newman is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department. Current mood: Checking writing this post off my to-do list.

Villanova students stop for an ugly sweater photo with Will D. Cat during the 2016 Falvey Library Stress Busting Open House.

We’re reminiscing on this sunny Friday. We wish we could be hosting our annual stress busting open house. We’ve had so many fun events—from tasty treats (nacho bar, cereal bar, tater tot bar, dessert bar) to funky themes (spinning vinyl records, ugly sweater contests)—we always enjoy celebrating the end of the semester with the Villanova community.

“Finals can get ugly…so get help.” The ugly sweater theme from our Dec. 2016 open house rings true now more than ever—Falvey Library can help you virtually. Conducting research for a final project? Explore our collection of articles, e-books, and more! Looking for research assistance? Contact your subject librarian! Visit our blog for additional information on accessing Falvey’s resources off campus. Good luck on finals, ‘Cats!

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

With Reading Day right around the corner and classes coming to a close, let’s throw it back to the 1991 Belle Air and Falvey during finals. Author of this article and alumna, Rachel White, writes about how around finals time the library is filled with “thousands of last minute crammers and a number of truly studious people.” Maybe you recognize yourself in one of these two groups. And although in an ideal world the library is the perfect quiet place to study, between the thousands of books and hundreds of people around you, it can be fairly easy to get distracted. 

Falvey offers a productive space to study if you’re in the right mindset. Which is unfortunately the case for studying pretty much anywhere. If you want more study or presentation tips, check out some of my recent ‘Cat in the Stax! 

Although studying in the library looks a little different 29 years later, there are individual study seats in the Dugan Polk Family Reading room and on all floors of Old Falvey. Come in with a focused mind-set and you can still find a productive place to study at Falvey.

Jenna Newman is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department. Current mood: In the mind-set for a nap.

Jerry Seinfeld once said, “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” 

Unfortunately, at some point in your life, if it hasn’t happened already, you’re going to need to give a speech or presentation, especially in college. If you’re a rare college student or professional that has somehow managed to get through your academic career without public speaking—we would love to know how, so please share! 

Although I cannot say I never get nervous before a presentation, I did work as a public speaking tutor during my undergraduate studies and have some tips to share.

Tip #1 PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

• This probably isn’t the first time you’ve been told practice is important in public speaking and honestly, it probably won’t be the last. You can know the topic you’re presenting on inside and out, but that doesn’t mean that you know how to talk about it to a room full of students that know nothing about the topic. By practicing, you can figure out how to present the material in a clear and cohesive way. Practicing also boosts your confidence and reduces your nerves, which aids to a better sounding presentation. 

Tip #2 If something feels awkward, change it

• This tip goes hand-in-hand with the importance of practicing. If a transition between topics feels awkward while you’re practicing or you cannot pronounce a word no matter how many times you listen to Google say it, find a way to change it. Anything that feels awkward in your dorm room or in front of your roommates is going to feel 10 times worse on the day of a presentation in front of your classmates and professor. Avoid the potential that these things will mess you up on the day-of by changing them ahead of time. 

Tip #3 Keep your slides concise

• The purpose of presentation slides is to help your audience follow along with your topic or to enhance your topic through images. This means that as cute as a sad puppy may look in your presentation, if it is not adding valuable information to the topic, leave it out. As far as text on slides go, you don’t want it to be overwhelming. If you have a paragraph of information on your slide, people will be preoccupied reading the text instead of listening to what you have to say. Put key points on your slide to guide the audience through your speech and re-emphasize key points. 

Tip #4 Prepare your notecards strategically

• In a similar way, while your slides are there to guide the audience, your notes or note cards are there to guide you! It can be tempting to write down every fact or even every word on your notecard, but doing that is just going to take away from the overall presentation and potentially confuse you. Only put down information on your note cards that you can’t remember during practice. Don’t be afraid to put presentation notes on your note cards too, like “slow down” or “switch slide here”!

Tip #5 Take advantage of available resources

• Finally, make sure to take advantage of the various resources that you have here on campus. The Center for Speaking and Presentation can help you refine your public speaking skills and talk you through any issue or fear you may have about presenting. You can drop-in to the Learning Commons on the second floor of Falvey or make an appointment in advance here.

As we come up on the last month of the semester, make sure you’re taking advantage of your resources and being as prepared as possible for any assignments thrown your way! Did I miss any public speaking tips or resources? If I did, drop them in a comment below!

Jenna Newman is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department. Current mood: Buying all the notecards available from Staples.

Finals week is here! We know that a lot of students are dealing with feelings of stress and anxiety, especially due to the challenging times we are facing with COVID-19. Although we can’t be together for on-site stress bustin’ activities this semester, Falvey is here to support you when you need it most. Whether you are looking for last-minute research assistance from a librarian, help navigating the library’s resources or just a general boost in the right direction, we have you (virtually) covered!

In order to combat test stress this semester, we are proud to present our first-ever virtual pet visit. So, be sure to take a break, press “paws,” and join us via Zoom for a virtual pet visit featuring some of Falvey Library’s furry friends. You’ll have a chance to meet  Lemon, DeLune, Henrietta, Claude, and Jesse, on Tuesday, May 5, from 12-12:30 p.m. Join URL: (Villanova email required for entry).

More information about our (wild)cats and dogs can be found here.

In addition to the virtual pet visit, please check out some additional resources below to help you reduce your stress, lift your mood, manage your workload, and stay positive during finals week.

Art
Falvey’s Villanova-themed Coloring Pages
Free MoMA Art Classes

DIY Fun
Stress Relief Crafts
Make your Own Stress Ball
DIY Bookmarks

Music
List of Live Concerts via NPR 

Culture
Broadway Plays

Games
Board Game Arena
Brain Teasers and Trivia via Briangle 

Exercise, Meditation, and Mindfulness
Practice yoga from Yoga with Adrienne
Guided Meditations with Tara Branch
Pixel Thought Meditation Tool
Koru Mindfulness
Tips to Think Positively from the Mayo Clinic

Eating
Publix Online Cooking Tutorials

Apps to Check Out
12 Apps to Help You Beat Stress from This Way Up

Podcasts
Stress Relief Podcasts

Virtual Tours
San Diego Zoo Live Cams 
Tour a National Park with the National Park Service
Association for Public Art’s Virtual Art Tours in Philly

Please also check out these helpful Villanova University Resources:

Health/Well Being
Health Promotion’s Guide to Stress Management 

Student Health’s Campus Well

Research Assistance
Consult with a Librarian via email or Live Chat.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and need additional support, please contact the Patricia B. and Gary M. Holloway University Counseling Center.

Remember, the Falvey Virtual Library is open and ready to help. Good luck with your finals, Wildcats!

Hey all you (wild) cats and kittens! Do finals and work have you feeling stressed? Take a break, press “paws,” and join us via Zoom for a virtual pet visit featuring some of Falvey Library’s furry friends. You’ll have a chance to meet Lemon, DeLune, Henrietta, Claude, and Jesse, on Tuesday, May 5, from 12-12:30 p.m. Join URL: (Villanova email required for entry).

Lemon (with Caroline Sipio, Access and Collections Coordinator)

Lemon is a zesty miniature wirehaired dachshund! She is little and bright, loves to roll in the grass, and chase leaves as her mini beard rustles in the wind.

DeLune (with Caroline Sipio, Access and Collections Coordinator)

DeLune is a longhaired miniature English Cream dachshund. She likes to sunbathe, cuddle, and loves meeting new people and their dogs at the park. Don’t let her small size fool you—she is the life of the party!

Henrietta (with Deborah Bishov, Social Sciences and Instructional Design Librarian)

Henrietta is an eight year old tabby cat, rescued from Philly ACCT, who might be part dog. She’s an irrepressible ham who enjoys meeting new people, giving nose-butts, and flopping.

Claude (with Deborah Bishov, Social Sciences and Instructional Design Librarian)

Claude is a twelve year old tabby cat who’s a lovable curmudgeon. He interprets sneezes as conversation and enjoys squirrel-watching from the window.

Jesse (with Joanne Quinn, Director of Communication and Marketing)

Jesse is a 6 year old golden retriever—a real floofer for sure. He heckin loves string cheese and leftover ham. All the hoomins in his family are Nova grads. Only teh cat is not a ‘Cat. If you have pizza crust, he will be your fren. [Translated into doggo lingo].

Attendees are free to bring their own pets, but please note that furry friends are not required—all are welcome to come check out the animals. Upon entering Zoom, attendees can choose whether to keep their microphones/audio on or off, depending on whether they would like to interact with the animals and attendees or simply observe. The event will be moderated by a library staff member, so please feel free to also use the chat feature to ask any questions if you do not want to unmute yourself.

Feeling the stress? Let us lend you a helping “paw”—unwind and grab that extra boost you need to finish the semester strong! This event, sponsored by Falvey Memorial Library, is free and open to all Villanova students, faculty, and staff.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. Regina Duffy is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.