The Library
I am at the Georgia State University Library. The building has five floors, but I am on the second- the busiest floor, as it has many resources for students to make use of. I am sitting against the wall next to a table facing the array of computer stations. All the computers are facing the same way. The rolling chairs that go with each computer, however, are all facing different directions, as many people have been moving in and out of them. There is a laptop kiosk that has a few spaces empty where students have checked out laptops. The objects I’ve observed in this space are here for students to make use of them. The computers are for typing essays on and researching information. The chairs and tables are for study groups to sit and study material and work on classwork and homework together. There is a laptop kiosk here for students who don’t have their own laptop and want to borrow one. None of these objects belong to the students, however, so most students know to handle everything with care. Since this is a work environment, most students know that it is custom to keep their voice down and be courteous of the others working around them. In this space, there are students. Many, many students. Georgia State is known for its diversity, so there are all different kinds of people here. There are Asian students, and there are black students. There are white students and there are mixed students. They are all typing on the workstation computers the library has here, or on their own that they brought. Some of them have a bottled drink or a snack within arms length of them that they reach for every other minute or so. I assumed all these students were here at the library because they obviously had classwork that they needed to get done. They came to the library to do so. A couple of kids had their own laptops, and I assumed THEY were at the library so they were in a quieter work environment where they would be more focused. I know that I’m like that. Or, another reason could be because their residence hall or their own home doesn’t have WiFi. The students at the workstations know that these are not their personal computers, so they handle them with care and look at them with curiosity. They sit sluggishly, like they are tired, but these chairs and desks do not belong to them either, so they don’t put their feet on the tables or bother the person next to them, since they’re working too.