Daily: Thursday 13: The Library and the Students

As a librarian I have notice quite a few things, especially the students antics within the library. Let me share a few.

1. "Catch-Up Conversation Periods" For most students, the library periods has become a slot for them to talk about what they watch last night or talk about the latest gossips and etc. Regardless the other students are trying to study.
2. "If she can see you, she can't hear you." Yeah.. what's with that. Did they forget we librarians have ears? It's un nerving when you looked at them and these obviously groups of students sitting in what was supposed to be 2 seat carrell, just look down on the floor or just looked spacey-faced and pretended they are not talking when you turn to look at their direction..
3. "Flipped a book. Done reading." Some students would just pull out out a book, flips through the pages quickly, and "officially" say done reading. err.. wonder if these students have robotic scanning eyes or just plain lazy.
4. "Can't finish a 10 page but I just pull a 500 pg book instead." o..k... I do't have to explain how that is.
5. Sweetwrappers. There is ALWAYS sweetwrappers laying around regardless there's a bin ready for them.
6. "Pull two books for a 30 mins reading slot" I understand thin ones.. but thick ones?
7. Book stealing: why steal when you can borrow it?
8. Library couples: students having liasons... mmm...
9. Confusing directions? Photocopy instructions. Why is it whenever I say "up", they go looking for the button on the "left" instead?
10. Short attention spans? I see students pulling a book, read for 5 secs, stand up, change to another book, repeat & rinse.
11. Leaving books on the table or reshelving it in a different place. Ok... we have these place holder system, where they could mark the place of the books they pulled out. Laziness leveled up a notch I supposed?
12. Returning books at the "Borrowing Counter" instead of "Returning Counter". I don't have to tell you.
13. Can we borrow yet? School libraries has this "no borrowing" system in some days of the year, and of course, we keep having this questions when those period comes. What annoys me is, when we opened circullation and they don't borrow at all. What's up with that?