Behind the stacks....

 

Wandering through the Harry Potter bookshelves (my personal name for them as they move at the press of a button!) on the 5^th floor of the William T Young Library, many will not realize the hidden treasure that is tucked back in the West Wing: the Writing Center. The William T. Young Library, or the Willy T as many students call it, is the main library on our beautiful campus and houses most of the enormous book collection that the University of Kentucky boasts as well as being the site many students use the countless hours of studying that goes on during a semester.

Essays, research papers, and other writing assignments fill the time between tests for many students on campus. As an average student, I’ve had weeks where I’ve had at least one essay due in addition to having lab reports and homework assignments to complete. While the work can seemingly become overwhelming, it is completely manageable by focusing on completing one thing at a time and utilizing the resources available on campus.  With all of this writing to be completed, it can become very difficult to not only create another brilliant thesis statement, but to also decide on a specific topic when a professor has assigned a paper about water. Thankfully there is a resource on campus that is able to help students with all of these problems and more. The Writing Center is the best place to come on campus for help with any writing needs. The purpose of the Writing Center is to help students and faculty with any of their composition and communication needs. With a diverse staff of undergrads, graduate students, and faculty, it is easy to find help no matter the assignment.   

            Just in case you need a professional editor, we sadly can’t be of any assistance.   We will not edit your paper for you, and we are not even allowed to write on a student’s paper or touch the computer they are working on. With that being said, each consultant that works at The Writing Center will point out grammatical errors and help the student learn and understand the rules that govern the English language. The goal is to make each student who comes to see us a better, more confident writer. We work through asking questions about the writing to help ensure that the writer understands what they are trying to say as well as to make the paper easily understood by any future readers. While most of the work that is brought to the Writing Center is actual writing assignments, such as essays, we can help with all types of communication. This includes speeches, presentations, website design and any other form of written word.  We are also able to offer services like design workshops and aid with visual rhetoric because of our amazing visual artist and design specialist.  

            While the bookshelves that should maybe be in Hogwarts always put me in a better mood on my way to the Writing Center, where I work, my absolute favorite part of working on the 5^th floor of Willy T is the fact that we have one of the best views on campus. Maybe I’m a little biased, but it is definitely one of the most amazing views you will ever find here at UK. So if you ever want to look at campus from up above everyone walking to class, or ever need help on a writing assignment stop by and see us. We can be found behind the stacks in the West Wing on the 5^th floor of Willy T.

Staci is a junior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Agricultural Biotechnology.  She now lives in Kentucky, but comes to us from Virginia.  She is a works at the UK Writing Center and is a COA Agriculture Ambassador.