Potato chip wrappers, notebooks, folders, sheets of loose leaf papers and textbooks littered the carpeted floor. Eight teenage students were stretched out on the ground in various poses.

No, it was not a college dormitory room, but rather the west side of the main floor of the Hinsdale Public Library, which recently hosted hundreds of Hinsdale Central High School cramming for final exams.

The four-day Finals Service program ran from Saturday through Tuesday. It welcomed high school students to the library during scheduled times to study for final exams, providing study stations, free snacks, water and pens.

While many students occupied group study rooms, small tables and individual seats inside the library, others simply flopped on the floor in various areas, securing their own study lab locations as need dictated.

“All the rooms were taken already, so we just all met here and sat down,” said freshman Maggie Scully of Clarendon Hills.

On Monday, Maggie and several class mates from Hinsdale Central staked out their corner of the library to study for upcoming final exams.

“I’ve already come here Saturday and Sunday, and I am preparing for my toughest final in history,” said Maggie, who takes three honors courses at Hinsdale Central. “The library provides resources like snacks and everything, but the real resource is the other people who are here with me.”

Freshman Maggie Madden of Hinsdale said the value of the program was the group setting that allowed students to interact with each other.

“I need help in earth sciences, but I also help others with their math. When I am helping others, I am also reviewing my own material, so it helps me,” she said.

Freshman Marc Rayis of Hinsdale said he combines studying at home with studying in the library prior to exams.

“I like to study alone at home, but I also like to come here because you get so may different viewpoints. Sometimes you learn something from the others, and sometimes it just reinforces what you already know,” Marc said.

“Lots of times you don’t always understand the course work in the class room, so it is nice to be able to study with others who can help,” said freshman Lucy Orton of Clarendon Hills resident.

“My toughest class is algebra, and I am taking the final on Thursday (June 4),” Orton said Monday. “I’ll end up studying here all week, going at it for 60 to 90 minutes before taking a break.”

It wasn’t all work, said Maggie Madden, who sat on the floor using a personal lap top computer. The library provides free wireless service.

“When we get hungry, we all take a break walk to the Corner Bakery Cafe about a block away and get dinner,” she said. “We are working hard, but we also like to take a dinner break to get away from studying.”

Hinsdale Central High School Principal Kevin Pobst said the program has had a positive impact on students as they prepared for finals.

“We know that students value having a dedicated place to study for finals and access to just-in-time help. Feedback to us from students who used the library’s resources in the winter was very positive,” Pobst said. “We at HCHS deeply appreciate the growing partnership between the Hinsdale Public Library and Hinsdale Central.”

The program began about three years ago and sees fewer numbers in the spring than in January, officials said.

“By June, the seniors have already graduated. So we are catering to freshmen, sophomores and juniors,” said Becca Boland, young adult librarian at the library. “But we are still seeing 100 to 200 teenagers coming through our doors every day for Finals Service.”

In January, about 1,000 students participated in the program, library officials said.

Dara Arends, marketing coordinator for the library, said the goal is to expand and improve the program every year. The program began about three years ago, and Arends estimated about 1,000 students took advantage of the program in January.

“Our goal is to make it bigger and better each year and to continue to find sponsors willing to donate school supplies, snacks and even cash to help support the program,” Arends said.

During the program, quiet areas are designated for nonstudents and regular library users.

“We ensure this doesn’t have an impact on our regular users. We just want to make sure we support our students as much as we can,” Arends said.