By Jake Ross

As students gear up for their return to school in a couple of weeks, they may not be aware of the full slate of offerings their campus library has available to them—other than a quiet space to work.

Some returning Toronto Metropoltian University (TMU) students say more people should know about the resources available to them, and use them while they’re able, sharing their “unconventional” uses of the university’s libraries with The Eyeopener.

The TMU Library has over 500,000 physical books in its collection, and according to its website, prioritizes the acquisition of leisure materials including fiction books, and what it calls, “stress busters,” like puzzles and board games.

Lily Bitton, a second-year undergraduate student in the English program, says she takes full advantage of the expansive array of books the library has to offer.

“It has such a wide selection of books that I didn’t really realize it has so many fiction books,” she said.

Her favourite is the Popular Reading Collection section, which, according to the library’s website, has over 200 mystery, romance and other fiction books.

“There are so many new books that would be full price at Indigo that I can read for free or that are included with my tuition. I’ve read some good books that have been on my list for a long time because they’re available there,” she added.

She said she prefers the campus library because they have a better selection of books than the public libraries in her hometown of Guelph, Ont. She said it’s also more convenient than going to a Toronto Public Library branch.

A survey conducted by the University of British Columbia Library found that while 94 per cent of respondents said they might or would use a leisure reading collection, only six per cent of respondents got most of their books for leisure reading from the school’s library, despite it having 81 per cent of the books students had requested in the survey.

“I’ve had some good books that have been on my list for a long time because they’re available there”

Bitton thinks more students should take advantage of the offerings at the campus library. “I try to push people to go because it’s such a great resource. But most of the people I’ve talked to don’t really use it as much as I do,” she said.

A survey of Canadian post-secondary student’s school library usage published in College and Research Libraries, a peer-reviewed academic journal, found while a majority of students still use their campus library as a place to do work, it is increasingly becoming a social space.

Piero Alvarado Bellido, a third-year student in the Business Technology Management program, is a fan of the library’s board game selections. He’s even hosted a board game function at the school’s library.

“I originally would just go to the library whenever I wanted to do an assignment. And eventually, one day I invited my friends, and we played some board games,” he said.

The library’s boardgame collection includes classics like Battleship and Monopoly, which are available to borrow from the Circulation Desk on the second floor, or you can bring your own board games, like Bellido and his friends have done.

For students like Bitton and Bellido, the library is more than just a place to finish an assignment. It is home to some gems that often go unappreciated.