We’ve all been there: you have a big exam tomorrow, but your roommates are being loud, making it impossible for you to concentrate on studying in your room. So, you escape to the quiet haven that is the library to do your work.
But then, your worst nightmare comes true when you get there and realize that the building built for studying is just as distracting. So much so that you might as well be at a Nascar race. There are a few choice behaviors that occur in the library that are the most common and also the most distracting.
1. Phone usage: Probably the most annoying thing to deal with in the library is listening to people talking on their cell phone. I do not want to hear you tell your mom all the gory details of your latest doctor’s appointment while I’m trying to figure out the equation of a regression line. Another distracting cell phone activity is texting. You may think you’re being discreet and quiet, but all I hear is buzz buzz… click click click click.
2. Cranking up your Ipod: If I can hear exactly what song you’re listening to on your headphones from three seats away, your music is too loud and you should probably get your hearing checked. I don’t know how you can even concentrate on your work with that obnoxious music blaring, let alone expect me to be able to focus on mine.
3. Loud Conversations: These are especially common when there are large groups of people together. They give the illusion of working hard with their books and laptops open, but the easy-to-overhear conversations about who got the drunkest last night beg to differ. I know you’re not supposed to eavesdrop, but it is nearly impossible not to when these people are talking so loud. So, although I appreciate learning the latest gossip, that’s not why I’m in the library. Plus, keep in mind that you may not want what you’re saying to become common knowledge.
4. Canoodling: There is always that one couple at the library “studying.” However, their version of studying includes staring deeply into each other’s eyes and seductively grazing one another’s thighs. It’s very difficult for the people around them to focus on schoolwork when they’re trying to control their urge to vomit while the couple is so desperately trying to resist the urge to go get it on in the stacks.
5. Talking to yourself: This can range from a simple statement to a full-on outburst. Talking to yourself can be especially distracting to others because it prompts them to wonder, “wait, is she talking to me?” Then, when they realize that you were, in fact, talking to yourself, they’ll just think you’re strange. While this may be particularly entertaining for them and provide some comic relief to their studying, it no doubt causes them to lose concentration.
6. One slightly less distracting but equally frustrating antic is when a single person takes up an entire large table for themselves, especially when the library is crowded and bigger study groups are actually trying to get work done. This solitary person has books splayed all around them, trying to appear in need of the extra space, but they really just don’t want anyone else to sit near them in fear of actual social interaction. You’re not fooling anyone with all those books, and you’re more than welcome to join the rest of us in the 21st century on the internet, which takes up a minimal area.
While everyone has probably been guilty of participating in some of these disruptive library behaviors at one point or another, if you try to avoid doing them it will ultimately lead to a better study environment that you will need one day. So turn off your phone, save the gossip for later, and tell your sweetie to leave something to the imagination in order to make the library a better place.