The library is the place to be ... especially during power outages!

For the second time this semester, the power went out all over campus on Monday and once again more students streamed into the library than exited the library gates.

It may have been the fact that it's the last week of instruction for the fall semester ... or the fact that natural light in the library allows students to continue browsing the book stacks, working in groups, writing up their research, or reading.

While library staff at the circulation desk switched to manual mode to continue checking books in and out, the wireless network stayed strong during the outage. Students continued to use their laptops in the library as well as throughout the campus. Librarians used their smartphones to access the library catalog to answer "Where can I find books on..." questions. Meanwhile, our laptops were working on (limited) battery power and some hardy students braved the dark to use the Web or type up their assignments (see blurry photo below).

And, when the power came back on after a little over two hours, the library was humming once again within minutes with a packed Computer Commons, fully occupied group study rooms, and lines at both the circulation desk and the copy center.