NCSU Librarians and Writing Center Consultants Give Students a Head Start at the Long Night Against Procrastination

Despite their best intentions, students often find themselves laboring in the eleventh hour to finish up research papers just before the due date. Librarians and Writing Center Consultants teamed up to get them started on their assignments during the Long Night Against Procrastination.

In the Fall of 2014, Brandy Grabow, Assistant Director of the University Tutorial Center (UTC) contacted Librarian Anne Burke with an idea. What if the UTC and the NC State UniversityNC State University Libraries gave students an incentive to get a head start on their final writing assignments? Other schools across the globe were doing just this with the Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP), a night of programmed support and encouragement to support student success.

Following the model of Long Nights Against Procrastination begun at Viadrina European University in Germany, NCSU’s inaugural LNAP was planned for April 9, 2015 from 6 pm to 12 midnight.  Five consultants from Writing and Speaking Services (WSTS) and the Graduate Writing Center (GWC), two Libraries staff members, and three Libraries interns worked in shifts throughout the evening to support students through all phases of their assignments, from brainstorming topics, to finding research, to formatting bibliographies.

Despite the thunder, lightening and rain pelting the region that evening, LNAP drew a crowd to the ground floor Reading Room at the D. H. Hill Library. 117 students signed into the event to research and write under the umbrella of support of the librarians and writing consultants. Deliveries of pizza and donuts paid for by the Friends of the Library fueled them through the evening. One student Tweeted shortly after she left the event, “Thank you to our @NCState librarians for being rockstars!... Hannah and Julia were super helpful in helping me find sources for my 2 papers!”

WSTS consultant Ryan Pileski said, "I really enjoyed how I was able to sit at the table and help brainstorm with a student, but also just have a conversation with a lot of them. We laughed and talked and were able to work on writing while we did so. It was a great model for a fun and productive working environment.”
The productivity generated by this event was palpable and pushed students toward their goals. All the staff members involved felt energized by the collaboration and have begun planning subsequent LNAPs for the Fall and Spring semesters next year.