I spend far too much time in the University of Otago’s central library than I care to admit.
I regretfully sit in a small library booth while the outside world teems with life. During exam season even the most outgoing students become library hermits resigned to only one or two conversations a day.
What a drab affair. Maybe a lack of oxygen has restricted my ability to see clearly or maybe it's just that I needed a distraction from studying but in looking around the library it becomes apparent that there is more going on than meets the naked eye.
Once you stop for a while you begin to see things differently. Thousands of glazed-eye individuals have suddenly morphed into animals in an ecosystem, allowing me to see many of these annoying habits and indifferent looks in a new light. At this revelation, I began scribbling notes down furiously.
What follows are several ethnographical observations of the central library ecosystem, a place which serves to mimic the trials and tribulations of student life.
The central library attendees during exam season can be split into three groups: the early-risers, the seat hoppers, and the late-night grinders.
The early-risers
Though this is a noble group at face-value, their self-imposed martyrdom lends itself to the abuse of certain rights within the library. Namely, the early risers will bag their seats for the entire day, securing the spots while away, much to the anger of other library inhabitants seeking a seat in the bursting building.
The seat hoppers
The second, and arguably most prominent group in the library are the seat hoppers who will study intermittently between their daily tasks.
For these individuals, library time will always come second to every other minor job which must be attended to satisfactorily. These characters waltz into the library for a few hours at 9am before taking off for lunch or other extraneous tasks.
These individuals take the healthy approach to studying but this means little in an environment where health isn’t necessarily the most important value. Critics may even call them master-procrastinators. If you want to spot this group in the wild, make sure to check the library's stairwells between 9am and 3pm where they will likely be talking loudly of their flatting drama for all to hear.
The last group I will put under the microscope are the late-night grinders who will wake up at 11am, only to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening studying until their bodies give out for want of energy.
Being an early-riser, the acts of this unique species are mostly unknown to me. The only information I have is derived from their bragging which can be heard resounding throughout campus. These people heighten my stress the night before an exam when they continue to study while I sit around and eat my dinner. What a waste, true grinders don’t need food!
Among these common species are various varieties of birds, librarians, and general citizens, all unlucky enough to be trapped in the labyrinth of the unending building. Returning to this hellish wasteland in my writing is both a nauseating and gratifying experience.
On one hand I loathe the place of which I have been free for the past few weeks. On the other hand, I can’t help but appreciate all its quirks. Species aside, the people are what make the university’s central library such a special place and isn’t that something worth celebrating.
- Hugh Askerud (19) is a politics and religious studies student at the University of Otago
