Library vs. Coffee Shop

A change of venue tonight. The Coffee Shop was starting to get incredibly crowded during the past few weeks. Tonight, I am in the library on campus, on the third floor. I usually come at this time of the semester because I have a final paper that I have to do research for and I will not be on campus during the Thanksgiving holiday. That’s changed this year, however, but my previous experiences have always shown that there are plenty of students in the library, especially at the end of the semester.

Tonight, I have chosen the large common area on the third floor where there seems to be more people. There are not as many as the space has room for, but it is not as dead quiet as other parts of the library are either. Compared to the coffee shop, where there is little to no studying happening, more studying is happening here. On my way through the aisles to the back of the floor, I noticed other students quietly studying in smaller areas.

There are more study groups here than there have been at the Coffee Shop. I would say about six. Everyone else in my line of sight are studying alone with headphones in, some not. One of the study groups are not studying. Instead, they are playing games on one of three whiteboards in the area. First it was dots, now it is hangman. Must be time to take a break. Or, at the very least, relaxing their brains and their hands from page turning. At least they know when to take a break and how to make the most of it.

Another study group that had been sitting by the window leave, done with what they met to do. As does another study group. The pair that were at the white board are leaving with their group, though, I don’t think that they were a study pair/group. The guy has taken a seat with another group while the girl packs up her things and leaves with her group. But he seems ready to leave to as his group is also taking their leave. The two groups leaving take a picture together with Snapchat, I guess to tell everyone they were here together. And with their leaving, the area becomes plenty quieter with the talk coming from a group of girls and a pair of guys a little way away. It is funny how much of a difference a group’s leaving makes in the volume of sound in the space.

The group of girls, talking a little, seem to be done as well as they pack up their computers and talk about social things rather than schoolwork. Silence reigns in the area, the only sound comes from my typing which sounds loud now that there is no talk.

The student who came in when the large group left takes his leave now about ten minutes later. He could be moving to a smaller space or different floor or leaving the library altogether. I’m not sure what he came for.

It is a really big difference between here and the Coffee Shop. In the Coffee Shop, music played and people talked. There wasn’t this much quiet during the times that I went. It is really peaceful and I feel I can get more done in this silence, with only my music in my ears, than at the Coffee Shop on other days.

Another student walks into the area, looks around, and then walks out. He must be looking for his study group or friends which could be one in the same. Another student also takes his leave, tired of being here I guess.

Two more girls show up to study together while another male student decides to leave. Though, he doesn’t take his computer so I assume he’ll be back. Metal clangs from somewhere to my right. The two males student who had been sitting to my right leave, both done with what they had to do. Another female student takes their place.

The other student is back. He smells like he went outside to smoke a cigarette. I can smell it as he walks past me. He picks up where he left off in his work and we continue to work in silence.