As a second-semester junior, I am constantly trying to survive an ever-increasing pile of homework, community service hour requirements, and college searches. I, and many other Mason students, rely on the school library as a place for quiet work time.
I’ve recently noticed that the noise level within the library has increasingly grown to the point that I cannot focus on my own work. And this is not ok.
We have dozens of corners, alcoves, and benches where students can socialize with one another within Mason, but the library is not one of them. The library is a place where students should go to quietly work, uninterrupted by loud conversations.
Yet, this is not how the library has been operating lately during Mustang Block. All of the study tables within the library fill up within a couple of minutes after the bell rings, and dozens of people do little to no work while taking up these tables.
This is frustrating for people like me who need this time to finish last minute homework and projects, and with only one designated “quiet room” to use in the whole library, there is no space for me to work productively.
I’ll admit, I don’t expect the entire library to be completely silent. But I do expect more than one quiet room and additional emphasis put on keeping the library a productive place without a lot of loud socializing, especially since the current library doesn’t actively alleviate the noise issue.
“The nature of Mustang Block gives students the opportunity to collaborate and take a few minutes of breather throughout the day, so I haven’t done much to mitigate the noise nor will I probably,” said librarian Kesha Legagneur.
For a school that has such an emphasis on hard work and great grades, Mason should do more to offer a quiet, productive space where students can meet these expectations.
In the short term, there should be expectations for the library to be a place to work collaboratively without disrupting other students from their learning process. And for the future development of the next Mason, let’s model our library the way universities do. We should have several designated areas for different levels of noise within the library. We can have a common space where people can socialize, but also have a large quiet area where students can get their work done quietly.
Casandre Rice • Apr 9, 2016 at 6:37 PM
Hi,
I’m currently a freshman so I cannot yet empathize with your stressful workload, but I send my sympathy and wish you luck.
As for your issue with the noise level in the library, I have to disagree. As librarian Kesha Legagneur said, Mustang Block “gives students the opportunity to collaborate and take a few minutes of breather,” and the library is a great place to do so, with many comfortable places for students to sit and gather with friends for a chance to unwind. I choose not to go to the alcoves and cafeteria during Mustang Block because my friends are in the library, and the alcoves and cafeteria are already quite crowded.
If there were no other silent areas to work, I would not even be commenting, but there are. The ESR is a very helpful resource open to all students of all grades and provides an area that is kept moderately quiet and is rarely crowed. Another option is find a teacher’s room that tends to be on the quiet side, which should not be too challenging considering many students are congregating in the library, cafeteria, or the alcoves.
I hope my comment is somewhat helpful to your hunt for a quiet space, but I feel I speak for my fellow library-goers when I say that we will not be forced out of a relaxing meeting place only to accommodate a few people who do not utilize the resources available to them.
Megan Jenkins • Apr 12, 2016 at 11:58 AM
First of all, I’d like to thank you for commenting and sharing your opinion! My intention for this opinion piece was to generate responses of all kinds to this issue, and I appreciate you voicing your opinions.
I believe students should get a few minutes of breather, but as stated above the library is not the place for socializing and relaxation. It is designed, and should be, a quiet study area for students, and I believe there is not enough of that space available to students. I agree that the ESR is an excellent resource for students to utilize, but it doesn’t offer the same kind of resources (printing, reading materials, knowledgeable librarians) that the library does. As for teachers’ classrooms, they are often crowded with other students seeking the same quiet space and are not productive.
Similarly, there are plenty of spaces for friends to socialize during Mustang Block. And if people are feeling as though there is not enough socializing space, maybe another solution to this issue lies in building more spaces where underclassmen can spend time that are similar to the alcoves juniors and seniors have.
I appreciate you commenting and sharing your opinions, and hope that in the next Mason both of our interests can be met with a more versatile library that provides quiet space and the relaxing common area that you and many other Mason students enjoy.