What do you think of when picturing a library?
A quiet place full of books, students with their textbooks out studying. Or do you imagine a place where people laugh and talk to their friends, making it impossible to study?
Well, if you pictured the second one you’re in luck because the Cerritos College Library fits that criteria perfectly.
Anyone who spends time in the library knows that the volume in the room is too loud for studying.
Unfortunately, the library has become more of a social center than a place of peace and quiet.
Unless you are willing to get up as early as possible, the noise in the library rises around midmorning.
Now to be clear, the library itself is good and the staff who run it are always helpful. The school has put a lot of time and money to make the library helpful for students.
It has Wi-Fi, computers for students to work on, personal desks and comfortable seats. Personnel have done everything to make the library accessible to students.
Unfortunately, the students are the problem.
Many students seem unaware of the fact that the library is not a place to meet with your friends and chat.
Most people across the world realize that a library is supposed to be a place where you can focus in peace. Sadly this is not the case at Cerritos College.
Go inside the main area and you can see groups of people looking at YouTube videos on laptops, talking about everything but school.
It has been so out of hand that earplugs are actually placed on the main desk for anyone who needs to block out the noise.
It seems crazy that rather than finding a way to fix the noise problem, we have given in and allowed these students to do what they want at the expense of others.
There is now talk of adding a barrier to the library, which will separate the library into an area for lounging and one for studying.
It never should have come this far. The idea of a library being a quiet place for studying is not a groundbreaking concept.
It is incredibly selfish and self-centered of these students who come in and use it like their living room rather than what it is meant for.
Now, no one is saying that Cerritos College should be a dark, dreary place. We all need to relax and forget about classes for a little while.
Students do need some place where they can talk to their friends and talk about stupid things, but it should be redirected to other places.
We have a Student Center filled with food and televisions. It also has a whole room full of tables for students to eat and talk without anyone to bother them.
Students can also take advantage of Falcon Square, which has more than enough spots to relax, like the Hill.
Cerritos can only benefit by creating an atmosphere where students don’t become too stressed, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of other students.
If students take responsibility for their actions we can save money on a barrier that we shouldn’t need and put it toward something we actually need.
For the low price of shutting up for a few hours, we can save money that could buy more computers or help buy supplies for the classroom.
Stopping the noise in the library helps everyone.
If we all do our part to keep the library, a place where we can all focus and work, we all benefit. You may not need it today or even tomorrow, but wouldn’t you like to know that place is there just in case?
