The Library, more than just a study place.

October 27, 2025

By Cal McCluskey

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The library is such a core part of what Farmingdale State College is. It's a place to study, do homework, relax, and much more. I interviewed people to see what they thought about the library that they go to and work at. I interviewed 4 people about the Farmingdale State College library, also known as Greenley Hall. I interviewed one staff member and three students. The staff member I interviewed was April Earle. The students I interviewed were Mankirat, Zoe, and Barbara. 

For the student interviews I asked 9 questions. My first question I asked to the interviewees was asking what are you doing here in the library today? My first response from Mankirat was “I came to study and print out my review sheet for the exam.” Zoe said, “I'm studying for my pathology midterm and writing my notes.” And last, Barbara said, “I'm studying for my midterms and doing my notes.” 

The second question I asked was how much time do you spend here? Mankirat replied with “I spend about one hour to one and a half.” Zoe said “I would say maybe, like, four hours a week.” Barabara said “I would probably say, maybe, two hours a week, because I usually study at home.” 

Then I asked what time of day do you usually go to the library. Mankirat said “during the afternoon, around anywhere between noon to 3.” Zoe said “around, like, 2 or 3 I would say.” Barbara said “usually around 3 or 4.” I then asked, what is your routine here? Mankirat responded with “I just come, sit at these computer desks, or go upstairs, start doing my work, and whenever my work is finished, I leave.” Zoe said “I usually come here. Put down my stuff. I'll probably print a whole bunch of stuff out, and then I'll come to a desk, and I'll just lock in study, rewrite my notes.” And Barbara said “What I'll do is I'll try to find a good quiet spot and I'll put my stuff down. If I need to go print, I'll go print. But generally, I'm usually just trying to find a little quiet spot and get comfortable.” And the last question  I asked was, what are your thoughts about the seating options here? Do you have a favorite seating area you like to sit in? I got a really good response from Barbara with “I would say I wish there was more seating. I also wish that, because sometimes, I'll come after class and it's, like, completely filled to the brim here in the library. So I wish there was more seating. I wish there were more quiet spaces, because sometimes I don't want to go downstairs because there's no service down there. And usually my favorite spot would probably be the third floor that's right next to the Tutoring Center. There's like, one table right there. I always go there because it's quiet like no one there. But unfortunately, there's only one table, and so if anyone occupies that, then you know, I'm just left to find a spot.”

For the staff interview I asked 7 questions. The first question I asked was “What is your experience like working here in the FSC library?” April Earle said, “So my role is as a librarian. I work a morning shift, so I'm here super early before lots of students are on campus. I really enjoy the interaction that I have with the students here. They're very hands-on with what they're doing and they’re interested in what they are pursuing in their studies, much more hands-on than a lot of other library experiences I've had.” I asked next, “Is there a library degree that is offered here at Farmingdale?”April Earle said, “No, there is no library science degree here. To be a librarian, you typically have to have a master's degree in library science, and we don't have a library science program.” I asked, “How was it like getting your degree to become a librarian?” and she said, “It took me three years because I went part time, and it was challenging some of the courses, but I think the most rewarding part of it was being able to see how information is organized.” I asked, “Do you feel like you get enough recognition for all that you do here in the library?” and she said, “No, so part of my job is in technical services. They're usually behind the scenes kind of people, and if I do my job correctly, you will never notice. It's only when I make a mistake that people notice that there's a problem. So when you search for a book in the catalog, for example, if it comes up with a misspelling or a wrong call number or it's misplaced, that's because I've made a mistake. So if I do my job right, you'll never notice.” I asked, “How do you feel about the library becoming more of a social scene than just a quiet study space?” and she said, “Quite honestly, I love it. I think a lot of learning is it requires interaction with other people and other perspectives and other ideas, and so I have no problem with the volume in the library, although there are instances where the volume is much too loud and some people do need quiet in their study. So it is a challenge, especially since the library is designed with spaces where people are together. We have more communal tables than little individual cubicles for people.” Another question asked was, “What does the library have to offer that students might not know about?”, she said “At the beginning of every semester, you should check and see if we own your textbook, rather than going to buy that, because you can use it here in the library for free. Additionally, you get $50 worth of print credit every semester, which is approximately 500 pages of printing that you can do for free, well, from your print credit. And then what other services do we have? The food pantry is located in the library. It's a separate entity from the library, but it, it, it's here. And don't go hungry on my campus. You know, come to the library. We will help you with that.” And last I asked, “Is there anything else you would like to add to this?” and she said, “I don't think students take advantage of all the materials that are available to them. Don't think they recognize necessarily that their faculty wants them to succeed and they initially want to go to Google or AI generated information when it's not always accurate, and we can help you get accurate answers. But I think sometimes students are afraid to ask for help or acknowledge that they don't know something, and so I think that's my one thing I want to tell students is just ask, just come to the library. We'll help you.”

Below is a picture of Greenley Hall located on campus.