The Library that never sleeps

Deadlines have meant our second home is the Robbo.Tiffany Low documents her most eventful night, filled with the annoying habits that we’ve all seen (and hated)in the library

NUSU
7th December 2015

Students visit Robbo for the same reason every time, either revise for their exam or dealing with their deadlines. All day everyday, especially during exam period, the library will be full to bursting, and smelling rather funky, like last night’s bender; the whiff of alcohol and sheer panic. The library is literally transformed into a hunting ground; laws of the jungle apply. Everyone seems to be nervously on edge, lurking around computers waiting for them time out so they can jump on them and claim them, or eyeing each other with barely concealed distaste, convinced their task is ‘waaaay more important’ than their peers. If we have to subject ourselves to the torture of the end-of-term Robbo crush, can people not just have the common decency to just be, well less annoying? 

Searching through the whole library, from the second floor to the fourth floor (first floor is too noisy for you), you can finally get a computer on the third floor. What is really bad about that is as you are awkwardly patrolling the computer clusters; you’ve found someone using the computer for browsing Facebook, stalking their ex, or people leaving their personal belongings in their seat for an hour when it is super full. It is really annoying when you can’t ask them to let you use the space when you really need one, but the truth is, people can browse Facebook at home as well, and your need is reaching breaking point. Politeness will soon go out of the window. Eventually someone clears out, and you leap across the room to get the seat, viciously and recklessly elbowing a competitor out of the way in the process.


"What is really bad about that is as you are awkwardly patrolling the computer clusters; you’ve found someone using the computer for browsing Facebook, stalking their ex, or people leaving their personal belongings in their seat for an hour when it is super full"

People are smashing it on their assignments at the same time, so they are typing as loud as they can, like playing a piano as Beethoven, you almost can listen what they are typing but let me tell you, it ain’t musical. To be honest, it is stressful enough when it’s 3am and you’ve hit writers block, and your assignment is literally in for about 4 hours time, it will makes you think ‘why people can type out so many words and I can’t?’ Can’t you just type it lightly and save me the envious sidelong glances as your fingers fly across the keyboard.

The other annoying thing is, when you are still figuring out what you should write for your essay, your neighbour’s friend comes along to ‘chill’ with him because he’s ‘like been writing for a good 15 minutes now and he needs a quick break’. They are trying not to speak loud since they need to comply

with library’s rules. But their whispers get right under your skin, somehow more annoying than if they just they yelled at each from across the room..

   Staying overnight is really common when you are fighting your assignment in the library. You don’t have a penny, only a bottle of water, but someone beside you bought a hot chocolate, or some snacks (especially crisps!) which makes you smell it then you suddenly become very very hungry, and makes you cannot concentrate on your work. Food is always the disturbance. I remember I left the library early due to hunger and went to have Chicken Cottage…

"Food is always the disturbance. I remember I left the library early due to hunger and went to have Chicken Cottage…"

When you just find another seat away from the whispers and the tantalising food, you think more nothing can bother you. You’ll just quickly nip to the loo and be ready to go. When you open the door, the stink assaults you nose. You cover your mouth and want to vomit. But you are really in a hurry, you don’t want to lose your seat, those pesky self-time out screens say seven minutes but we all know they lie. You hold your breath and brace yourself, but the question that comes across your mind is ‘What has the Robinson reduced to me?’ My advice would be: go home, go to bed, and tackle the delights of the library tomorrow instead... to begin all over again.

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