Library Quietime--or Lack of

I am sitting on the floor of the library studying right now. Yeah--the floor. The library here is very different the the library at DePauw.

When you walk in--there are signs everywhere that say no talking and no cellphones. However, neither of the rules are followed as I can hear many people talking--some about school, but for the most part just chatting. Also, I hear people answering and talking on their cell phones (one just beeped next to me as someone got a text). As long as you are not talking loudly--they do not seem to care.

The library itself is barely two floors of books. With only 20 study stations on the first floor and 20 four person tables with another 20 study stations on the second floor--it get crowded pretty fast. This is not the first time I have sat on the floor as I study--with over 5,000 students here, it is pretty common to see. The university does not have a huge library (or any other study space) as students do not live on campus and all commute everyday.

And when you leave, you have to have a guard check your bag to make sure you are not stealing any books. Overdue books cost you a fine too. Oh and the computers... well they are Macs that have a few years on them and do not always work. Sometimes you will get on them and they will all stop working at once for some unknown reason. It can be frustrating at times. And the campus has wireless but it does not always work either--sometimes it goes in and out too.

It's not a terrible library, it has plenty of books that my friends and I have no trouble finding (even the Harry Potter books in English) it's just such a different atmosphere than I am used to studying in. I really do not have a quite place to study. My home is quite for the most part--but I live in a big city, so quite means you can still hear the cars going by, the neighbors talking next door, car alarms going off, and many types of sirens throughout the night.

Thankfully--I brought ear plugs to Ecuador! They are my savior as I cannot do homework with noise. And they are so stylish.