At the end of each semester, the Kathryn A. Martin Library and our campus partners host a large number of stress-reducing activities. We call it Stress-less Week! However, developing healthy coping mechanisms for stress isn’t just an activity that we should practice before Finals Week. The library wants to encourage our community to be kind to their bodies and minds this semester. We encourage everyone to check out any of the following activities or events.
Stress Reducktion: Beginning on March 1st, anyone in the library might encounter some wildlife while browsing the stacks. If you find a rubber duck in a study room, on a shelf, or under a book, bring it home to nest at the circulation desk on the library’s first floor. A stress-reduction package will be given to our amateur conservationists.
Game Night at the Library, Friday | March 22, 6-9 p.m. in the Kathryn A. Martin Library: Join volunteers from UMD Housing & Residence Life, Kirby Student Center, and the Kathryn A. Martin Library for an evening celebration of fun and board games. With a huge collection of games from the Library and the traveling collection of Dungeon’s End Games, novices and experienced game players can be guaranteed a great time. There will be snacks, and a de-stressing table! Special thanks to Kirby Program Board for co-sponsorship.
- Check out a board game: Speaking of games, we have big selection of board games to check out. Loan period is one week, plenty of time to checkout and old favorite, or to find a new classic. You can read more about the collection here.
Pet Away Worry and Stress (P.A.W.S) | March 27 and April 30, 11-1:00 p.m. in the Kirby Student Lounge: Our favorite furry friends from Animal Allies will visit UMD for some much needed stress reduction and petting!
Stress Ball Make & Take | Thursday, March 21, 1-4 p.m.: Library staff will be mass-producing stress balls for students outside of the library. Make one of your own, or just take one!
Enjoy books from our First Floor Collections: The first floor reading room is a treasure trove of best-sellers, graphic novels, romance, science fiction, biographies, and non-fiction. You can physically and digitally browse the Best Seller, Graphic Novel Collection, and the Wellness Collection. We also have 250,000 other books to enjoy via our library catalog... plus a millions more through Get It via our partner University of Minnesota Libraries.
- Yoga in the Rotunda | April 9, 5-6 p.m.: Bulldog Yoga Club hosts a special yoga session in our 4th floor rotunda. Please bring your own mat.
Visit with Career & Internship Services | April 18, 1-4 p.m.: Need to get started on a job search? Taking the next step towards internship? Wanna tune up your resume? We’ve asked our awesome friends at Career & Internship Services to table outside of the Library. They’ll be sharing Career Handbooks, setting up appointments, and helping you get closer to employment, graduate school and life beyond UMD.
- Stress-less Week | April 28 to May 3: Don’t forget to mark your calendar for Stress-less Week, our end of the semester anxiety reduction event. Library staff and our community partners band together to provide a plethora of activities like the ever popular activity table, button making, stress-ball makings, door prizes, potted plant give-away, a visit from the zoo-mobile and a lot of coffee, tea and cocoa.
There may also be some evening yoga and knitting events, so check back for updates!