Happy Reading Day, Titans! We know this time of year can be stressful, so for the last installment of the Finals Toolkit, we’re sharing relaxing and stress-relieving activities. Taking breaks and moments to rest can help you return to your studying or writing feeling refreshed and revitalized. Don’t forget, you can also check out our earlier tools and tips from part 1 and part 2 of the Finals Toolkit!

• Browse: Take in some art! Browse the collections in Artstor, Saskia Digital Art Images, and IWU’s campus art collection.
  
  
• Listen: Enjoy some instrumental background music from The Classical Music Library, Smithsonian Global Sound, and Popular Music Library.
  
  
• Read: Use your IWU ID card to check out a book to read for fun from the library’s popular reading collection, located on the first floor of the library near the Library Services Desk. You can also check out some of the year’s best books, currently on display in the Self-Care Station.
  
  
• Visit the Self-Care Station: Find coloring sheets, LEGOs, origami, dorm-friendly recipes, and other wellness resources in the Self-Care Station on the first floor of The Ames Library.
  
  
• Watch: See performances like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Swan Lake from the comfort of your own room, thanks to Digital Theatre+, or watch a documentary on a topic that interests you from the PBS Video Collection. 

Bonus finals week reminders: You can reserve a study or project room in the library and print your projects and papers using one of the library’s five printers.

We hope you’re able to finish well, take care of yourselves, and enjoy the upcoming break. Good luck during finals week–you can do this!

We’re filling your Finals Toolkit with tips and resources to help you cross the fall semester finish line strong. This week, check out ways to take care of yourself as well as a few quick reminders as you put finishing touches on projects and papers:

• Ask a Librarian Chat: Monday-Friday, from 1-4 pm, a librarian is online and ready to help answer your questions!
  
  
• Citation refresher: Working on your citations page? Let MegaSearch help you! (Click image below to enlarge.)

• Counseling & Consultation Services: Check out CCS’s resources for students, take a confidential online screening, or make an appointment to talk to a counselor.
  
  
• Self-care apps: Check out our Self-Care LibGuide for a list of meditation apps like Shine. Or, try a coloring app like Paint by Number Coloring Games as a way to relax.
  
  
• Self-Care Station: Visit the Self-Care Station on the entry level of The Ames Library for relaxing activities, games, and recreational reading.
  
  
• Sleep: It may feel like studying is more important than sleep, but research tells us that’s not the case. Several studies compare sleep deprivation to intoxication–a study of 19-26 year olds found that their performance on tasks after being awake for 20 hours was equivalent to having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%. Try establishing a wind-down routine, avoiding screens right before bed, and remember to make sleep a priority.
  
  
• Sunbox light therapy lamps: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects millions of people, and one way of coping with SAD is to use light therapy. There are Sunbox light therapy lamps on the 3rd and 4th floors of The Ames Library–try spending 20-30 minutes with a Sunbox lamp to help lift your mood.
  
  
• Titan Pantry: Take what food you need from the Titan Pantry, located in the Hansen Student Center (in the lockers by the main floor restrooms). The Titan Pantry is free and anonymous.
  
  
• Wellness resources: Taking care of yourself may mean addressing your physical, spiritual, social, emotional, intellectual, and/or environmental wellness.

Next week, visit the Finals Toolkit for relaxing activities and stress-busters!

The Ames Library is here to help you finish the semester smart, strong, and well. For the next three weeks, we will be sharing tools for your Finals Toolkit–reminders to help you make the most of your time, strategies for taking care of yourself, and ways to help you relax. You’ve got this!

We all know the end of the semester goes by fast. Take some time now to prepare for the next few weeks with these tools, which can help you plan ahead for your study sessions and final projects. Your future self will thank you!

• Schedule an appointment with a librarian: Librarians can meet with you for 15, 30, or 60 minutes, either in person or on Zoom, and can help with brainstorming keywords to finding sources for a research paper. Choose “Ames Librarians” from the dropdown menu to make an appointment.
  
  
• Schedule an appointment at the Writing Center: Writing Center tutors can help you organize your thoughts for your final papers. Choose “Writing Center | Tutoring Services” from the dropdown menu to make an appointment.
  
  
• Reserve a study room: You can book a study room or project room in the library up to one month in advance. Reserve your finals study space now!
  
  
• Review Research & Course Guides: Now is a great time to review the library’s Research & Course Guides, where you’ll find information to help you research, tips for using the library, citation tools, and more. Search by subject (like biology or English) or for a specific course.
  
  
• Renew your library materials: Think you might need that library book until after finals are over? Extend the due date by renewing it!
  
  
• Request books or articles with I-Share and ILLiad: If the book or article you need isn’t available from The Ames Library, don’t worry! It’s easy to request articles to be delivered to you electronically via ILLiad or to request books from other I-Share libraries (you’ll be notified when they arrive and can pick them up at the Library Services Desk). It’s fast, but it’s not immediate, so planning your ILLiad and I-Share requests sooner rather than later is recommended.

Next week, we’ll be sharing strategies for taking care of yourself!

What would a world without fact-based journalism look like? How would you discover trustworthy information about your community, your country, and the world?

World News Day, an initiative from the Canadian Journalism Foundation and the World Editors Forum recognized annually on September 28, seeks to “draw public attention to the role that journalists play in providing trustworthy news and information that serves citizens and democracy.” 

Celebrate World News Day by bookmarking some of the many news sources available to you via The Ames Library. These are just three popular news publications available to you online:

The Chronicle of Higher Education

“The nation’s largest newsroom dedicated to covering colleges and universities,” The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on news, events, and data impacting higher education. Read full-text articles from The Chronicle dating back to 2015.

To access The Chronicle online, visit this link.

The Economist

Founded in 1843, The Economist covers world events in business, economics, technology, politics, culture, and more. As an IWU student, faculty, or staff member, you have access to current full-text articles and an online archive dating back to 1997.

To access The Economist online, sign up for an account on economist.com using your @iwu.edu email address. After verifying your email, you’ll have access to the website, app, and newsletters.

The New York Times

The mission of The New York Times is “seek the truth and help people understand the world.” Your access to NYT via The Ames Library allows you to read recent and historical full-text articles and issues dating back to 1851, as well as view video and images, use the TimesMachine, and access the NYT Audio app.

To access The New York Times online, please sign up with your @iwu.edu email address at this link. Faculty/staff have four years of full access to NYT before being asked to re-authenticate, and students can enjoy access until December 31 of their graduation year.

Please note: To utilize The Ames Library’s access, existing paid NYT subscribers must first cancel their paid subscription before authorizing with their IWU email address. The Ames Library’s subscription does not include games or recipes.

Find other major news publications, such as the Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, and more by browsing the A-Z Resources list or searching in MegaSearch.

Stay informed and seek understanding about the world, and let us know what journalism means to you.