If you’re a night owl, evenings like March 22 were made for you. Late Night at the Library is an event that takes place once a semester to help students get the educational assistance they need if daytime isn’t their thing. Snacks are brought in, librarians are on hand to help answer any questions, and Starbucks is even open late. Students have the chance to get down to business from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and work until they can’t work any more.

In order to make this semester’s late night as comfortable and enjoyable as possible, diligent staff and volunteers ensured that refreshments and snacks were supplied and replenished every hour. As soon as the refreshments were brought in, students swarmed the tables to grab a coffee, a healthy snack, and settle in for a late night of hard work.

Martina King, a MacEwan University librarian and the event organizer, is passionate about ensuring that students get the proper assistance, study time, and tools they need to succeed on their finals and projects. She and the staff at the John L. Haar Library made sure that the students had access to resources like the Writing Centre, and they also held a research workshop.

The reaction to Late Night at the Library has been “really positive,” says King, adding that “people have been very thankful and happy. This is really a nice treat for them as MacEwan students.” The overall atmosphere of the library is that of support, determination, and persistence as the students settle in for the marathon evening.

King says that Late Night at the Library is really aimed at “students who are not available earlier because maybe they’re working, or who want to go to the Writing Centre but can’t get there before 4 o’clock. So it’s meant to be an inclusive event for students who don’t have a lot of time, but do have a lot of work to do.”

To keep the atmosphere light, each Late Night at the Library event has a surprise that happens around 10 p.m. King says, “The surprise is something unexpected and different that wakes students up and is definitely my favourite part of the evening.” This year, people gathered around to watch some “zombies” dance to Michael Jackson’s hit song, “Thriller.”

The students clearly appreciate all that the staff and volunteers do for them. One student exclaimed, “I love MacEwan!” as he grabbed a coffee and granola bar, then went back to his study spot for the rest of the evening.

If end-of-the-year stress is getting to you and assignments are piling up, definitely give Late Night at the Library a try next semester. You’ll be surrounded by students working just as hard as you, as well as professionals on hand to make your studying experience as effective and fun as possible.