Finals are just around the corner, which means the best party on campus isn't Late Nite, but instead Bracken Library. Yes, that big, brick building that vaguely resembles a stack of books in the center of campus happens to be the hot spot for many Ball State University students. Yet, with the increased traffic, inconsiderate students oblivious to common courtesy disrupt many quiet study areas.
We've all experienced sitting on the third floor in a study carrel reading an assignment when a group of bubbly students sits down 15 feet away at a table. Red Bulls are opened, laptops are fired up, bags of chips are passed around and the obnoxious conversation begins:
"So, like, I really don't want to do this paper."
"I know! Oh my gosh, it's so pointless. His class is, like, stupid anyways. Nobody really needs to know about astrology."
"You mean astronomy?"
"Whatever! Ugh, it's all the same thing anyways. It's not like we're going to get anything done."
All the while, you continue sitting unnoticed to the group of loud students who are making the best of their "study" session. As you try to resume reading, an annoying and constant buzz of conversation permeates throughout the entire area until finally you get up, loudly shove the chair into the carrel, zip up your backpack and walk past the group giving them your best evil eye.
Roaming the other floors of the library you realize that there really isn't a single quiet area in the entire building. Though a library is supposed to be a quiet place of study and inquiry, Bracken seems to shatter any resemblance of such a place.
Annoying, isn't it?
Toward the end of each semester, Bracken seems to become the ultimate solution for all the academic needs of struggling and desperate students. Even the student who hasn't stepped foot inside the library for the entire semester suddenly believes he can meet a class requirement simply by being at the library. Contrary to the commonly held belief, the computers at the library do not hold any special powers. Instead of working constantly on large term papers, group projects or program portfolios, these procrastinators set aside the last month of the semester to do actual work in frenzy.
Oh, and it's not just the students, but the staff also. Librarians try hard to hide their disdain for simple questions, student assistants who are bombarded with questions simply don't know the answer and finding a book that, according to Card Cat is available, seems absolutely impossible.
Yes, Bracken Library is showing the common signs of end-of-the-semester burnout.
To improve many students' frustrations with the commotion that currently defines Bracken Library, the staff should enforce the current "Quiet Zones" and consider expanding their parameters. Sure, staff members make an hourly round throughout the building, but seldom say anything to groups of students disrupting others. Ball State should provide students with an area to study undisturbed, like an actual library.
Obviously, students will need to meet throughout the semester for group projects, which can still be accomplished. The entire basement, first, and second floors encourage group collaboration. Additionally, students have the option to sign out study rooms where groups can freely talk. Though the library offers resources to accommodate these needs, students rarely embrace.
Different students study differently, which means that some will excel despite the constant buzzing of conversation while others will go crazy. Ultimately, students should simply act with a sense of common courtesy when visiting Bracken.
Write to Travis at tjoneill@bsu.edu
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