Did you know that the Nashville Resource Center is home to a skull?
No, it's not just for Halloween. Some of our Resource Centers offer hands-on anatomy models for students to use for study. One of our most personable anatomy models is this skull, posing here with Nashville-based Instruction Librarian Dayani Boatman.
Even if you don't have access to this glorious specimen, the South College Library has several excellent digital anatomy tools to help you study from anywhere.
- AccessMedicine's 3D Human Anatomy Modules
- AccessPhysiotherapy's Anatomy & Physiology Revealed Tool
Want to learn more and have a chance to win? Read on for the contest details and rules!
Name the Skull Contest Rules
- Between October 15-31, 2025, visit the Name the Skull contest page.
- Complete the brief tutorial on the library's digital anatomy resources and answer the required questions.
- Submit a name for the Nashville Resource Center's skull as well as your name and email address. You may only submit one entry.
Library staff will vote on the winning name in early November. Stay tuned to the Library Blog to find out who wins!
Finals period is a stressful time in the life of students. Looming deadlines, late-night study sessions, and fear of failure can create anxiety, loss of sleep, and potentially even impact student performance on final exams and papers. Students need healthy outlets and productive coping mechanisms for stress and in order to perform their academic best.
Believe it or not, a simple and accessible stress-busting strategy already exists: coloring.
The Case for Coloring
While most of us enjoyed (or at least, participated in) coloring as kids, not many of us have had an excuse to break out the crayon box since—until recently. Adult coloring as a trend has taken off since the mid-2010s, with many sources citing the publication of the Secret Garden coloring book by Johanna Basford in 2013 as a catalyst. Since then, many libraries have capitalized on the trend by offering coloring clubs and events for adults (Roy & Edwards, 2025; Blackburn & Chamley, 2016). These events have been very successful, with participants noting that they color to relieve stress or anxiety, unplug from technology, or as a form of socialization.
Why Coloring Works
Studies have shown that—even more than reading or even drawing—coloring boosts mood, mindfulness, and emotional regulation while also reducing anxiety (Holt et al., 2019; Turturro & Drake, 2022). Researchers have theorized that coloring, especially coloring repetitive patterns such as mandalas, promotes flow, or a positive state of mind in which an individual is fully absorbed with a focused task in front of them (Flicker et al., 2025). Coloring helps refocus the mind away from stressful thoughts of exams into a positive, creative mindset. This allows students to recenter, regroup, and cope better with the stressful finals period.
Come Color with Us
South College Library wants to help you de-stress this finals period by offering a variety of relaxing coloring sheets and colored pencils in each of its campus Resource Centers. Coloring supplies will be available December 12–18. We invite you to take a break from studying to Color and be Calm with us!
Get the Coloring Sheets
Can't make it to a library or resource center this week? No worries! Click an image below to download the corresponding coloring sheet. Print it out and color your stress away at home.
Library Resources
Still stressed out? Check out these library resources below on ways to reduce your stress through mindfulness and meditation.
Publication Date: 2021
Publication Date: 2022
Publication Date: 2023
Sources
Blackburn, H. & Chamley, C. E. (2016). Color Me Calm: Adult coloring and the university library. Kansas Library Association College and University Libraries Section Proceedings, 6(1), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.4148/2160-942X.1053
Flicker, S. M., Sancier-Barbosa, F., Tang, A. N., Ho, A., Zhong, S., Alafranji, R. R., & Clemons-Castanos, C. R. (2025). Mechanisms of anxiety reduction during adult coloring: Mindfulness, flow, enjoyment, and distraction. Mindfulness, 16(6), 1693–1704. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-025-02586-9
Holt, N. J., Furbert, L. & Sweetingham, E. (2019). Cognitive and affective benefits of coloring: Two randomized controlled crossover studies. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 36(4), 200-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2019.1645498
Roy, A. & Edwards, B. F. R. (April 29, 2025). The Ol’ Medical Coloring Book: Reducing student stress through playful library outreach. The Journal of Creative Library Practice. Retrieved from: https://creativelibrarypractice.org/2025/04/29/the-ol-medical-colouring-book/
Turturro, N., & Drake, J. E. (2022). Does coloring reduce anxiety? Comparing the psychological and psychophysiological benefits of coloring versus drawing. Empirical Studies of the Arts, 40(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0276237420923290