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Simple on-site activities—coloring posters, puzzles, comfort dog—help students take study breaks, librarian says
Summary
Vida Vaughn said large communal coloring posters, puzzles, chess boards and a comfort dog proved unexpectedly popular and offered students a low-cost way to decompress; the coloring posters filled quickly on first day of placement.
The Kornhauser Health Sciences Library uses several low-cost activities to give students short, stress-relieving breaks during intense study periods.
Vaughn described large coloring posters that were set up around the library and quickly filled on the first day. "We bought crayons... these filled up so fast," she said, noting the posters offered students a creative break from studying. The library also provides puzzles, a chessboard and a regular presence of a comfort dog named Maisie.
Vaughn said these small interventions were inexpensive but highly effective for both students and staff, and that she even placed a poster in a staff area to support employees. She cautioned that open writing spaces sometimes included strong expressions about current events, so library staff monitored content to avoid violations of campus protest or behavior policies.
