As a first year I don’t have as much experience of the Bill Bryson library as others, but after surviving my first summative season I have come to realise that during this period the library is just not quite as pleasant as it as throughout the rest of the year. After talking with some friends I have come up with a short list of a few common things that get on everybody’s nerves. So below is a polite reminder to anybody using the library; if you do any of these things, please stop. Sincerely, everyone sat around you.
1)Listening to your music too loud through headphones
Everybody likes listening to music but not everybody likes listening to your music. Please, for the sake of your hearing as well as my sanity, turn your music down so only you can hear it. There is nothing more distracting than when you are trying to concentrate and you can hear and even see (yes, we can see you mouthing along) somebody having a private dance party across from you.
2)Taking up two spaces when people are clearly looking for seats
This one in particular applies to summative season. It seems like unless you are at the library at 8 o’clock in the morning or 8 o’clock at night you have to wander around for at least 10 minutes until you can find somewhere to sit. This would be made a whole lot easier if people didn’t insist on reserving an extra space for their bags or sprawling their work out across two desks. Everybody likes their space, but if you have seen somebody making a fourth lap around level 3, please consider making some room.
3)Eating nosily across from you when it’s not eating for a reason
Have you not seen the dramatic increase in the ‘NO FOOD IN THE BILL BRYSON LIBRARY’ signs?! There is quite frankly nothing worse than hearing somebody crunch noisily crunch on an apple or smelling somebody’s tuna sandwich when you are trying to concentrate. Your choice of food either repulses me or makes me hungry. Neither of which are conducive to successful essay writing.
4)Whispering and laughing with your friends
This point makes me sound like a real librarian, but sometimes you really wish there was somebody walking around telling those annoying people to be quiet. Sometimes when your friend is trying to chat to you it is just too hard to tell them to go away. However, if the people surrounding you have given you at least three pleading looks to be quiet, please do consider taking a break and talking outside.
There are so many more things that could have been included on this list but do I really need to ask people not to pick their nose and eat it whilst sat opposite me?? (Yes, unfortunately I have seen this happen.) Now, everybody is guilty of having a sneaky bar of chocolate at their desk or really hoping that that lost stranger doesn’t choose to sit next to you. However, during summative season when tensions are high and the Bill Bryson is the last place on earth anybody wants to be, it would be a much less awful experience if everybody tried to make it a bit easier for each other. If you have finished your summatives, well done, you survived. If you’re still going, good luck and it will all be over soon.