When the UB is too much

UB

Click… click… Click click click… Click…

I look up, annoyed, at a student clicking furiously with her mouse. Across from me, someone else smashes away on his keyboard as though his life depends on it.

Sniff, sniff… Sniff, goes my neighbour. ‘Dude, please blow your nose’, I think. Should I hand him a tissue as a subtle hint?

Three chairs over two girls whisper and giggle, ignoring the library’s silence policy.

I try to calm myself down. I’ll never finish my essay this way. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. But it only gets worse: people click their pens, music bleeds from ear buds, stressed students jiggle their legs… I am about to go crazy.

During exam time the UB overflows with students. There are twelve people to a table; I barely have room for my laptop and my notebook. I can’t fit my planner or my books. Whenever I write, my elbow hits my sniffling neighbour. Then — as if all this wasn’t bad enough — a sudden, loud racket comes from the hallway: GrunnSonic at the UB. Who came up with this nonsense?

I decide I’ve had enough. I am done.

At home

‘Just go study at home, there’s no need to actually go to the library’, you might think. True. But I am easily distracted and need to be sure that unexpected noise won’t break my concentration. Studying at home can be risky.

The neighbours might decide to throw a party on their balcony, or my roommate might start baking a cake in the kitchen. I’ve tried working at home once or twice, but the walls in my house are so thin I can even hear the vibrations of my neighbour’s cell phone going off upstairs. I live at the Prinsenhof, so the bells of the Martini tower break what focus I do have every thirty minutes. And when I’m home the temptation to lie on my bed and watch a show is much too strong. I need an environment that stimulates me to study. Home is not an option.

But the deadline to my essay is in two days. Where can I find a spot free from noisy students?

Public library

Maybe the public library is the place. I gather my things and head around the corner. To my surprise there are still plenty of tables, even though it’s already ten thirty in the morning. At the UB, you’ll have trouble finding after eight thirty. You’ll have to make do with a table next to a squeaky door.

I also notice how large the tables are: I have room to spread out all my things. With a relieved sigh, I open my laptop.

But then, the inevitable disappointment: the Wi-Fi connection here sucks. And while the UB strictly prohibits people drinking so much as a cup of tea, people are eating entire meals here. Every other minute I am startled by the crinkling of plastic or the opening of energy drinks. I give myself a stern talking to: if I am distracted by every little noise, I’ll never finish this essay.

Just when I’m starting to concentrate again, an older couple begins a lively discussion about which travel books on Ukraine they need to borrow. So much for quiet. I deduce from the heavy sighs of students near me that I’m not the only one who’s bothered.

All the same, there is something to be said for the public library: the lighting is much nicer than the harsh fluorescent lamps in the UB; there is plenty of space; you don’t have to get up ridiculously early; the cafeteria has nice sandwiches.

But I would prefer a less public place with fewer people. A secret location… is there such a thing?

The Honours tower

Hidden at the top of the Academy building are several study booths. They’re technically reserved for Honours students, but I sit down and no one asks for my credentials. There are also plenty of seats even though it’s now twelve o’clock.

I sit down in one of the focus areas, and it’s just what I need. I don’t know if it’s the honours atmosphere or the portraits of Petrous Camper hanging above me, but I am quickly inspired to get to work.

High in this tower I feel completely removed from the busy libraries. I have a room all to myself, which is wonderful. I can’t imagine anything distracting me here. Except…

The booths border a hallway, and people keep tromping past. There is no requirement that people keep their voices down, and the constant hum of students and employees prevents me from focusing. It would be a great place to work on group assignments: the tables seat four people and it’s quiet enough for more intimate discussions. If you can stand some ambient noise, this is a pretty good study spot. But it’s not quite what I’m looking for.

Zernike

I am running out of time. A friend tips me off to the Zernike campus. She once discovered a place almost no one knows about, which she says is very comfortable. I hop on my bike to continue my search.

I’ve been given long and detailed directions: the spot is somewhere on the top floor of the Duisenberg building. To reach it, I take the lift to the eighth floor, the stairs to the ninth floor, and make a right at the end of the hall, where I spot a few booths.

This must be the place.

I discover why this ‘secret’ spot is so out of the way: like the tower in the Academy building, this space is just for honours students. Fortunately, no one hassles me. I get to work.

But I can’t help feeling a little embarrassed, like an outsider. At the Academy building I sat behind a closed door, but but these study booths are open and I’m visible to everyone who walks in. I feel like an intruder in a private community. Nobody is telling me to leave but I still imagine that my presence bothers the other students.

It’s not perfectly quiet here, but it’s much quieter than the overflowing libraries. If you happen to spend a lot of time at the Zernike campus, this is a great spot to get away from the noise.

Theology

I’m still not entirely satisfied. I decide to try one more spot in the city centre: the theology library. It is supposed to be the holy grail of silent study spaces. I had no idea this place even existed, which is not surprising; in order to get here, I have to traverse a maze. I go through the cafeteria in the Academy building, through a door to the inner courtyard, up a set of stairs to the right, and through a large heavy door, behind which I find a room full of steps and old books.

I can’t believe my eyes. This is an amazing place! Several desks are hidden between the bookshelves, where students are hard at work. Unlike the public library, there is room at the large table for all my things. There are plenty of sockets, which means I can use my laptop.

And because there are so few available spaces, I am not bothered by the other students at all. I am in love. This is exactly what I was looking for.

The only drawback to the theology library is the small number of tables, which are all taken. To get a spot, you have to show up early — by eight thirty — and you have to be lucky.

Nevertheless, I am happy. It’s dead quiet. There’s not another student within a three-metre radius, and I’m completely closed off from the world by the scent of old books. Maybe I’ll get to finish that essay after all.

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