Two Penn’orth: Library woes

The library and I are in a very difficult place in our relationship right now. Things used to be great – the IT Services team were so helpful, all the books you could possibly want on display and easy to find, pretty newspapers, comfy chairs. Suddenly things changed.

It is Thursday, midday. Floor three extension is buzzing with ideas. You can hear the concentration in the brilliant silence. A workman strolls in. Pairs of eyes peep tentatively over the top of desk dividers to see what he is about to do. He is carrying a ladder. He climbs to the top, having laid a large directional sign on the ground, and begins to drill. And I do not mean an iddy biddy hand drill. I mean a massive, serious, man-sized piece of power tool that if I had to use I would probably wet myself. And dearie me, can it make noise. Some students fold their arms. Others frown or cough disapprovingly. I just sit there, astounded that whoever has approved this sign re-attachment thinks that now is a good time.

Then came the announcement about the Gibbet Hill Road gas leak. It was loud. It was intrusive. It was pointless. Most people around me simply started giggling, while my friend and fellow English student sprinted to the edge of the room and began closing all the windows in a hysterical frenzy. When you think about it in terms of distance, any gas leaking from the Gibbet Hill Road area would probably have dissipated by the time it reached the windows at the library’s end.

Additionally, certain individuals enrolled at this university cannot read or understand symbols. This is a very depressing fact. Clearly the giant purple signs which display the symbols indicating no food, no drink, and no mobile phones are really just screaming “Ignore me! Abuse me! For I am pointless and have no meaning!” The irritating, jingly ringtone reverberates around the room, and of course, as pressing ‘reject call’ is simply not an option, the idiotic student answers it. Brilliant. All I need this afternoon is to listen to your inane conversation about which pub you will frequent tonight and the current state of your laundry. If you know who you are and you’re reading this, then shame on ye.

I would like to make a plea to you all, both students and administrators of the library. Students – (above the second floor) don’t answer your phones, don’t have a study group sesh in a silent area, and don’t even think about taking that bag of Monster Munch to the Floor 3 extension. And you, dear runners of the library, perhaps timetable construction work for before 10am or after 5pm on weekdays? – or, you know, never.