It’s the final week of school and as expected, everyone is cramming assignments, finishing presentations and preparing for tests. With the pressure of finals looming, the library has seen an influx of students, each hoping and praying they pass their classes.
As someone who has logged an insane number of hours in the library, both this semester and last semester finals week and the weeks leading up to it are some of the most interesting, as the dynamic of the library changes drastically. Here are a couple of things I’ve been noticing as a self-proclaimed “library merchant.” (Merchant is slang for someone who is noted for a stated type of activity or behavior)
The “Map Table” is where Dawes spends a majority of his time studying and doing homework when his normal studying spot is taken.
The first is the obvious. There are a ton of new people frequenting the ‘brary. As with any place, there are the regulars, people who swing by the library at certain times, have specific spots, study or do homework for a certain amount of time, and then leave. The closer it gets to finals, there’s a very gradual influx of people. Oftentimes, you will see a group project anxiously scrambling together their final project, or you will see someone frantically practicing their presentations in the study rooms. The new people at the library often bring an air of tension and panic.
The second thing I noticed was that the new spots people normally take up are thrown for a loop with the influx of new people in the library. Normally, the library regulars all have their spots, a specific table, or a study room that they can call home. Of course, when you introduce dozens of people into the library, someone is bound to take your spot as they don’t know the general seating patterns of people who typically go to the library.
I had a spot over by the backside stairwell that I’d studied at for hours. I might’ve tallied up enough hours to have several days spent at that table. But during finals week, I can always bet someone takes that spot as it’s close to the whiteboards that STEM students use to go ballistic on during finals week. Because of that, I have a backup spot, the hidden “Map Table” tucked away at the end of the library downstairs. This is a spot only a few dedicated students study at and it’s often occupied by either one of my teammates or my brother.
The final thing I noticed was how much faster the coffee went out. I am incredibly reliant on that Folgers dirt water, and it seems like the coffee is out of order every other minute. Of course, it makes sense why more people at the library are drinking coffee to ride a caffeine buzz.
I know it sounds like I am gatekeeping the library (if you can even gatekeep a building on a college campus), but it’s fun seeing new faces at the library. This is my favorite building on campus and I hope more students not only come visit it but become library regulars as well. Make it a habit to come visit the library next semester throughout the entire year. Find your little studying spot, build good study habits to avoid cramming and become reliant on the library coffee.
