Mellon further discovered that these negative feelings often overwhelmed students to the point that they could not function effectively in the library. It was found that they had a feeling of inferiority when they compared their library skills to those of other students, and that these feelings of inadequacy were a source of shame that made them hesitant to ask library staff for help. Mellon alerted faculty members outside the library that these behaviors constituted problems that needed to be addressed. She likened library anxiety to mathematical anxiety and test anxiety. She suggested that library anxiety should be recognized and the anxious person provided with experiences in which they could succeed.