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Agnes Scott College > McCain Library > Services and Spaces > Study Spaces and Carrels

Study Spaces and Carrels

Student studying at a table

Study Spaces

Do not despair if you are not able to reserve one of the 41 carrels this semester. Twelve carrels located along the west side of the terrace on the First Floor of the library cannot be reserved and are open to all library users. You also may use a reserved carrel when the occupant is away – please just leave it tidy and as you found it, and vacate it if the student who has it reserved arrives.

LibCal Reservations Carrel Request Form Popular Study Locations

Reserving Study and Media Rooms

There are three ground floor media and five group study rooms in McCain Library. To reserve one of the media or study rooms, visit the LibCal reservation page. Rooms can be reserved throughout the day and up to two weeks in advance with a minimum use of 30 minutes and maximum use of two hours per day, per student. Media rooms are also designated for one or more users, study rooms require two or more users.

The student making the reservation should come to the first floor Circulation Desk to retrieve and check out a key to the room they reserved. At the end of the reservation, or before, the key should be returned to the Circulation Desk for check in to eliminate overdue fees of $1.00 per hour.

To ensure equal availability for all students, media and study rooms have a two hour reservation maximum. Users utilizing the spaces in groups can individually reserve a room, allowing the group to extend their reservation for more than two hours by coordinating back to back times. 

When a media or study room is needed for the semester, email accessservices@agnesscott.edu. Your email should include your name, study or media room number/location, reason for the request, and the time/days the room is needed. Examples of need include study groups, quiet space for an online class, et cetera. 

Email accessservices@agnesscott.edu to extend room reservations, making sure to include your name, the room number, the amount of additional time needed, and whether a different room would be acceptable if your current space is unavailable. If your room is available for an extension, we will add the requested time and then let you know via email. If the room is not available, we will respond with an alternative space based on your request details

Study Carrel Reservation

McCain Library has a limited number of study carrels that can be reserved by eligible students for use during an entire semester. The intended purpose is to allow students doing library-intensive work a place to work undisturbed and keep their research materials together. Study carrels located on the Main (first) floor of the library cannot be reserved and are open to all students at all times. Those carrels that are numbered on the Ground floor, Stack 2, and Floor/Stack 3 may be reserved.

Study carrel reservations are available to all current Agnes Scott students, however, seniors and individuals enrolled in Senior Seminar or Independent Study courses who are in line when study carrel reservations begin on the date and time listed below will have first choice of study carrels. It usually takes an hour to process all the seniors and individuals enrolled in Senior Seminar or Independent Study courses.  After that the carrels will open up to other students.  

New in Spring Semester 2024 - Study Carrel Request Form by lottery. 

ALL CARRELS ARE RESERVED FOR THIS SEMESTER. PLEASE TRY AGAIN IN THE FALL.

Please note: 
  • The electronic study carrel request form is available here.
  • Reserved study carrels are prioritized for undergraduate students enrolled in senior seminars and in upper-level, research-intensive courses, but other students may submit a form.
  • Reservations will happen by random lottery, so a carrel is not guaranteed.
  • McCain Library staff will not be able to guarantee a specific carrel. Please note on the form the area or floor you would most like your carrel to be located and staff will try to accommodate your wish. Each carrel has a number if you wish to walk around and refer to those on the form.
  • There are 11 carrels on Floor 1 (on the west side of the Terrace) that will remain first come, first serve. In addition, reserved carrels may be used by anyone as long as they are vacant; please do not disturb books or belongings that are on a reserved carrel while you are using it.
All seniors and students in upper-level, research-intensive courses who submit a response to this Study Carrel Request Form by the deadline above will have the opportunity to be assigned a Study Carrel in a lottery on the first day of classes at noon.  
  • Once assigned and notified (by email), the student must come to McCain Library to complete the loan of the study carrel by noon the day after classes begin.
  • After this point, any unclaimed carrels will go back into the queue for another lottery drawing.
If there are study carrels left after this first-round process, non-seniors and students who are not in upper-level, research-intensive courses who have submitted a form response will be assigned carrels. 
  • After their assignment and notification, the student must come to McCain Library to complete the loan of the study carrel by noon the next day. After this second-round drawing, any remaining unclaimed carrels will go back into the queue.
If there are any study carrels left after this process, they will be available as first come, first served. 
  • No walk-ups to reserve carrels will be accepted to ensure fairness. 

Students with reserved carrels are reminded to always check out any library materials you place on your carrel so that they will show up as “checked out” in WorldCat.  

Any student may sit at a reserved carrel but should leave it tidy and graciously relocate if the student with the reservation arrives.

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