Shush!

I have a rant inside of me that needs to come out. It’s about the zones in the Robertson Library, and if you’re unfamiliar, then this rant might be about you.

Have you ever found yourself studying in the stacks at the Robertson Library, finally making progress on your paper that was due two days ago, when your quiet study space is interrupted with the low hum of whispering students? When you’re in the Red Zone in the library, that low hum sounds like shouting.

The Red Zone consists of the research rooms, study carrels, and quiet study sunroom in the upstairs section of the library. A description of the study zones can be found here. The Red Zone is supposed to be an area FREE from talking (including whispering), with cell phones kept on vibrate and headphones kept at a low volume.

Yet, without fail, every time I get my study on in the study carrels, I start to hear two people talking, or I hear the tender cries of Sam Smith’s heart on his new album The Thrill Of It All via someone’s headphones.

The first time I confronted someone for making noise in the Red Zone, my hands were shaking and my heart was beating. I told them that their talking was disrespectful, asked them to be quiet, and then walked away feeling like the meanest person in the world. Ever since then, however, I’ve become addicted to telling people to quiet down. There’s a certain thrill in slaying the noisemakers who disrupt my study space.

So if you think you might be part of the problem, kindly remember next time you’re in the Red Zone that the people around you choose to be there because it’s supposed to be quiet.  

By: Stressed in the Stacks 

Photo: Lorelei Kenny

This article is part of The Cadre’s opinion section.