The library is noisy. It’s not usually. In the middle of the semester, there are only a couple people at each table each evening. In the middle of the semester, you can find a free computer at the drop of a hat. In the middle of the semester, you don’t have to stake out a study area before breakfast to guarantee a space later on that day. In the middle of the semester, I don’t have to change locations to Pettengill to minimize distractions so I can get my work done.
Unfortunately, it’s almost exam week. This means that the first floor of the library assumes its status as “student center” (nerdy, I know). This means that the background noise level of the library rises a few decibels. This means I have to listen to music to drown out overhearing random conversations about classes I’m not in.
Batesies don’t particularly like change, and for me, this is a prime example. These “crunch time” changes in the library atmosphere force us “regulars” to change our habits, and I’m pretty sure we get a little bitter. My friends that work on the first floor migrate to the second floor, and those friends used to working on the second floor head up to the third. (Apparently the intensity of students studying on each floor increases as you climb more stairs…) My recent solution? Pettengill.
