The Friends of the Ellender Memorial Library will sponsor “Break Night” May 5 from 9-11 p.m., library director Carol Mathias said. The staff lounge, located on the second floor of the library, will be turned into a break room to help students preparing for final examinations. Free coffee, soft drinks, chips, cookies and fruit will be provided for students studying in the library.

“This has become a very popular event, and we look forward to helping students take a break from the stress of finals,” Mathias said.

Mathias said there are usually a few Friends members present during Break Night to ensure a smooth operation and to replenish refreshments and supplies.

Break Night is funded by the Friends group, an organization that helps raise money for the Ellender Memorial Library. The event helps promote the library as the center of academic life within the University.

The organization also produces a newsletter to highlight the library’s services and new resources for the community.

The library utilizes the Friends group to draw attention to the library as a public resource.

The Friends group allows the library to fund activities the University’s library budget cannot fund, according to Mathias.

“Because the money we raise from memberships, book sales and so on are actually donations to the Friends group, not the University, we can use it in different ways than we use the library budget,” Mathias said.

The Friends group is also an outlet the library uses to reach the community and student body about library programs and services.

The group consists of over 70 members, many of which are faculty. However, more community members and students are beginning to help, Mathias said.

“We do have several students and would like to have more, mainly because the University library really belongs to them,” Mathias said. “We would like to have more student input in the activities and programs we sponsor for the library.”

All of the work done by the Friends group is volunteer, and a good opportunity for students to get involved on campus. An organization like this can help boost a résumé and show future employers that students are interested in the community, Mathias said.

“We hope all students who graduate from Nicholls will develop a strong sense of the importance of volunteerism and support for community activities,” Mathias said. “This is a good place to start.