Manners and etiquette are central to successful interactions at work. Following the ingrained formula of social cues concerning privacy certainly falls under the realm of etiquette and manners. Unfortunately student’s manners still fail all too often.

This failure of etiquette has given rise to a campus that now disregards the privacy of other students and forces itself upon other student’s workplaces. These offenses primarily occur in our libraries.

The library is like a university’s church of knowledge, and — like any other church — it has some rigid, occasionally strict rules about behaviors and appropriate actions for once you’re inside.

The main commandment of the library — as we all know but somehow tend to forget — is silence. A silent workspace is a necessity for many students to maintain their academic standing, while others simply prefer total silence to read or write.

In many cases, ignorant students who are somehow devoid of the notion of library silence disregard this need for privacy and this right to silence. This behavior, at an academic institution focused on higher learning, is decidedly unlearned.

Libraries are synonymous with silence and evoke the timeless image of a fussy librarian shushing everyone for the slightest of infractions. This is the image that was drilled into our heads as children in an effort to instill the notion of privacy and quietness within the walls of these institutions. 

Libraries are an indispensible part of our society, allowing for the free distribution of literature and ideas for all students. The only payment due at the library is a conscious silence in order to not disturb those around you. 

A reason for this mass forgetfulness of basic etiquette might stem from the evolution of the library in the 21st century. The availability of the Internet — and therefore nearly the entire breadth of human knowledge — has led to Google becoming the primary access point for new information.

The ease that we can now research and acquire knowledge with has caused the library to shift from being a place of quiet, independent study, to a semi-quiet meeting space with comfy chairs.

Some students seem to be stuck with the notion that their need to relate details of their personal life to their friends somehow voids the inherent rules of the library. While this is not the case, personal experience would dictate that a select few very well feel that way.

Carrying out a phone call while browsing books on the fifth floor of the Murray Library is unacceptable, as the young man who I gave a very stern talking to — along with polite suggestions as to where he should go instead — found out.

But as fun as it is to ream out perpetrators of this crime against learning, it remains besides the point that I am making. When I need to take minutes away from my studies to make someone else aware of how they are inconveniencing me and my fellow students, I myself am creating a disturbance.

This disturbance, based on those involved, could end with my intervention or it could carry on into a conversation, thus ensuring the maximum annoyance for all those in it its proximity.

At the University of Saskatchewan, we are lucky to have a number of choices when it comes to libraries, study places and work zones. We have a wide variety of social gathering and student oriented amenities.

Place Riel, Louis’ Pub, Louis’ Loft and Alexander’s Restaurant & Bar are all nestled on or just off campus and facilitate the social aspects of university life.

The student body should be using these areas and others like them for the exchange of gossip and trivialities and leave the library to the dedicated students who are simply looking to succeed in their studies. 

When it comes to minding library etiquette, the student body should follow a simple piece of advice: don’t be rude. Respecting the rules of the library shows respect for the right that students have to both privacy and silence in a work space.

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Lee Bonham

Graphic: Theresa Quagraine