The Westport Library is supposed to be a sanctuary: a quiet place to study, unwind and keep up with demanding workloads. But walk in on most afternoons and you’ll find a different reality. No open rooms, no open tables, kids running around screaming like it’s a playground and at times even live music or talks being presented. What should be a dependable space for studying often becomes a crowded place filled with distractions.
When the library fails, many students turn to Starbucks as a backup. However, music blares over the speakers and constant chatter fills the room along with the grinding of coffee beans, eliminating any sort of focus you may have had.
This frustration is shared among many students at Staples.
“I think that it’s really difficult to find reliable study spots because now when I try to go to the library, there’s just no guarantee that I’ll be able to get a room or a quiet spot to study in, which makes it really hard to focus,” Olivia Flinn ’28 said. “And then if I try to go somewhere else, like Starbucks, it’s too loud and there’s no reliable spots anymore where I can go for quiet.”
Traditional study spots are becoming more and more unreliable when it comes to focusing and getting work done.
“So usually when I go to the library, I feel like there’s very few rooms, and if I’m in the main area where everyone is, it’s very loud and I just can’t concentrate,” Dani Peffer ’29 said. “So then that would usually result in me going home, but there’s a lot of distractions there so I can never focus.”
With the immense workload and academic pressure at Staples, a dependable study environment is necessary for students to succeed. Whether that means expanding the library so there’s more rooms available, more designated quiet study spots, or just more student centered facilities for productive work to get done, students are looking for a solution.
