The library will be continuing its biannual “Dead Quiet Study Zone” policy to accommodate students studying for winter finals from Thursday, December 13 to the Tuesday of the following week.

Instated five years ago, this policy was originally designed so that students could have a place to study quietly during the end of the semester exams, usually weighted 15 or 20 percent of their overall grade. This policy was implemented after head librarian Lauri Vaughan noted that when the library was in Main, she noticed loud talking outside every time the door opened which would disrupt students.

The policy adopts an even quieter study environment than before; librarians will ask students to leave if they talk at all, constantly monitor students, and potentially sit in the back room to request noisier students to depart if necessary.

“We have noticed that the back room tends to get louder, and if we are sitting amongst them, it reminds them to lower their voices,” librarian Meredith Cranston said.

This year, the study zone policy will start on Wednesday, a day before finals, unlike last year when it started on the Monday of the first final. Because finals start in the middle of the week as opposed to the beginning, the librarians wanted to give students an extra day to study for the Thursday finals.

Some future changes that the librarians hope to adopt for spring finals include a potential crafts table so that students can take a study break or a bucket of granola bars outside the library for all students to snack on.

“We all hate being the person to shush people,” Vaughan said. “We don’t want to be the bad guy, but we made the decision to be a defender for a student who wants silence.”

Students have had mixed responses to the policy. Freshman Helena Dworak supports the policy, although it does not affect her much.

“I don’t really study at school [during finals week], but I think it’s good that people have a place to seriously do work.”

Junior Christine Lee believes that some form of collaboration should be possible in the library.

“I like clarifying concepts by asking others for help, [but] I think it’s really hard to find a place to study quietly with someone on campus,” she said.

Vaughan said that though the librarians do support group study, the noise level frequently escalates quickly. She thinks that by having smaller collaborative rooms for four to six people each, the noise level will be more manageable, but she does not plan on making this change in the near future because of space limitations.