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Photo Friday: Whiteboard Wisdom


Some words of encouragement were left in Falvey Library’s room 206. Good luck, ‘Cats, on the final day of exams. You got this!


Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. Her favorite inspirational read is Lauren Graham’s book “In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It.” 

 

 

“Your job doesn’t define you—your bravery and kindness and gratitude do. Even without any ‘big’ accomplishments yet to your name, you are enough. Whether you have top billing, or you’re still dancing in the back row, you are enough, just as you are.” —Lauren Graham



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Photo Friday: Hidden Inspiration

Image of a post-it note on Falvey's second floor stating "You're doing great! Be proud of all you've done!"


Found this hidden on Falvey’s second floor. Thought we’d share as the semester comes to a close.

Good luck on finals, Nova Nation!


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

 

 


 


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Extended Library Service Hours Begin Friday, Dec. 3


Hang in there, Wildcats—the semester break is almost here! Beginning this Friday, Dec. 3, Falvey Library will have extended service hours the next two weekends:

Friday, December 3: 8 a.m.–10 p.m. (book stacks close at 9:30 p.m.)Saturday, December 4: 9 a.m.–10 p.m. (book stacks close at 9:30 p.m.)

Friday, December 10: 8 a.m.–10 p.m. (book stacks close at 9:30 p.m.)Saturday, December 11: 9 a.m.–10 p.m. (book stacks close at 9:30 p.m.)

For a full listing of service hours, visit the Library website.

Looking for a place to study? Villanova students, faculty, and staff may enter the Library building 24/7. Masks must be worn on all floors and spaces of the building, regardless of vaccination status. Electronic collections (articles, e-books, and more!) are accessible through the Library’s website 24/7.

Good luck on finals, Nova Nation!


 


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Carrel-tas Commitment Contest

By Ethan Shea

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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"

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!


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


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Reading Day Puts a Bow on Semester, Visit Falvey for Finals Kits!

Student reading on computer

 

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 Head shot

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

 

 


 


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Foto Friday: Lounging on the Library Lawn

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. 

 

 


 


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Foto Friday: What’s in Your Fridge?

picture of Falvey grad assistant, Jenna Newman, peering from behind a refrigerator door

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!


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‘Cat in the Stax: Get Organized, Crush Finals

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.

 

 

 

 


 


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Foto Friday: Finals Can Get Ugly—Falvey Library Can Help

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.

 

 


 


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#TBT: Falvey During Finals

two pages from 1991 Belle Air yearbook, article entitled "All You Need Are Pillows"

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.

 

 

 

 


 


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Last Modified: November 19, 2020

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