Picture this: a student waiting impatiently as the dysfunctional Dell desktop takes a solid 13 minutes just to log in. Another student is ferociously searching for a “Realidades” textbook (Spanish homework is due next period). Teachers on library duty sit innocently at the center of it all as they try to disregard the not-so-whispered chatter about this past weekend’s hook-ups and break-ups.
This is the Staples library.
Most known for its strict food policies (“Is that an apple you’re eating?”), inoperative desktop computers and loud social conduct, the library is a central part of the Staples community.
However, contrary to the studious connotations of its name, little work actually gets done in the Staples library.
“It’s more of a socializing place than a productive part of the building,” Graham Gudis ’17 said.
Roscoe Brown ’14 agrees that it is not the best place for work.
“Basically if I want to do work, I hit somewhere else,” Brown said.
For many, the library is a place to catch up with friends, take a break from a stressful school day, and even get a quick game of catch in.
Jake Reiner ’14 says that his friends once brought a football into the library. They didn’t last very long before getting kicked out.
He’s not alone in his use of the library.
“I usually go just to mess around. I’ll open my backpack just to get my computer out,” Ben Cion ’14 said.
Research suggests, though, that work can, in fact, get done in this student-infested area. It just varies on the time of the day or year and the section of the library.
Robin Stiles, one of the librarians, explains the first three periods of the day along with last period tend to be the most quiet. By contrast, the lunch period and the period directly after it are when the library is the noisiest.
Moreover, different times during the school year yield different amounts of productivity in the library. For example, right before holiday vacations or during spirit week, the library is louder, while around exams or at the end of the quarter, it is significantly calmer.
“The goofing off and the working hard goes in cycles with our school calendar and schedule,” Stiles said.
According to Nick Vega ’14, where people choose to sit in the library is directly correlated to how much work they’re able to get done.
“I’m able to get more work done back in the ‘quiet section.’ If you’re seated at one of the central tables, it’s easy to get caught up in the conversation,” Vega said.
The best way to completely dodge detrimental-to-homework distractions is to work outside of the library. Rick Daily ’14 works on one of the benches located on the bridge of the second floor. (There goes that hiding spot —) Eliza Shaw ‘14 uses the “sauna,” the unusually warm entranceway to the courtyard near the Continuing Ed office. Other students make use of the window seats or “nooks” near guidance. A learning center, the area outside the auditorium, and the courtyard (weather permitting) are other less-mainstream locations where students take their work.
Ironically, the library is sometimes not the place to get work done. Thankfully the school is big enough to offer alternate locations for working.
“Sometimes kids just need some down time from the stress of their workload and come here to relax and unwind,” Stiles said.
So go on, socialize in the library; it is called “free” period, after all.
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