The Chaos In The Law Library.

Hey there!

I hope this meets you well. You’ve probably gone through a wide range of emotions in these past few days or weeks. Having to write tests and assignments; especially group assignments which could almost make you lose your mind due to conflict of ideas.

You probably thought school won’t be resuming this year and you are struggling to adjust to the reality. I assure you that you are not alone and this is not a promise that things would get better because I mean, this is the Faculty of law but one thing is sure, you will eventually adapt.

Of all the things that could bother a person at this point, it is quite unfortunate that “learning/studying space” is part of it. I believe that everyone has a particular sitting space where they are comfortable enough to absorb the enormous amount of information from the lecturers. However, there are instances where you go late to class due to unforeseen circumstances and someone else sits majestically in your “space”.

Should that be a ground to cause a scene or feel offended?

I leave that to you to answer.

The main issue of this post is “whether or not the 30mins rule in the law library should be strictly adhered to”.

For those of you who do not use the library, I envy you because the chaos there these days is not funny.

There is a rule that states that if you have a space in the library and you leave for more than thirty minutes, you would have to forfeit the space if someone else sits there.

On Sunday 6th November, 2022, at about 7pm, a Twitter space anchored by the Law Students Society, Unilag was held with the theme “My LLB story”. Several people shared their experiences in the Faculty; some of which were quite fascinating. But one that stood out was the case of keeping space in the law library.

Apparently, the co-host mentioned that people would keep space in the library and go for classes and on their return, they would demand whoever is on their space to leave. She was of the opinion that the library is a “public setting” and you can’t be keeping spaces. The irony of this is that she supported people “respecting” other people's sitting positions in the classrooms.

P.S: This is not an attack on any person. Any meaning derived from this post is subject to the reader's interpretation.

This writer finds it quite hilarious because why should we respect where people usually sit in class but we can’t respect where people sit in the library?

Truth be told, the number of foreign bodies in the law library these days is quite alarming. What happened to the places you people used to read before?

Imagine coming early to keep your reading space, you go for class and on your return, someone is on your seat and when confronted, they tell you that the rule in the library states that “If you are absent for up to 30mins, you have to forfeit the seat”. It doesn’t end there, an argument ensues and the library attendant comes there and tells the person not to stand up for you and that you should look for somewhere else to stay.

What was now the essence of coming early enough to reserve the space? When you go to a party and the sits are occupied, if you eventually stay on that space for the meantime and then the original occupant returns, would you insist that he or she should look for somewhere else to stay?

You might say that there is no rule guiding a public place such as that and I agree but even if it were in a classroom, I bet you would get up for the original owner of the space.

University is not a secondary school where you can bully others. A 100-level student could be the same age as a 300-level student. It is no news that most people who carry out this act are in higher levels. I do not think it’s fair. If it were your mate, you would respect yourself and most importantly, respect them enough to look for somewhere else to sit.

Maybe there is something that I am missing but I’d like to hear opinions on this matter (not physically though cause I cannot argue/fight).

Now to the second issue to be addressed.

THE LIBRARY IS FOR READING AND NOT FOR TALKING!

Quite a number of us are guilty of this, even I am not excluded. If you need to explain something to someone, go outside. Some people are trying to learn cases and court decisions and you are unconsciously posing as a hindrance to the flow of their understanding. Please, consider other people struggling to study.

Another issue that I think is common is reading for 15mins and pressing phone for one/two hours. It’s really nobody’s business but due to the influx of foreign bodies in the library and limited spaces, I think it’s best to go to your hostel or your comfort zone and get entertained by your social media. There is really no signing of attendance in the library. So, if you don’t feel like reading, it’s fine. But don’t just come there to occupy space.

As an individual who is also affected by these issues, I hope it gets better and we don’t make enemies of ourselves just because of space.

This brings the writer to the end of this post. You’ve probably caught your sub(s). Don’t bother keeping your anger in your heart. Write it in the comment section and you might get a response (or not).

Wishing you success in your tests and exams.

Yours Sincerely,

Doreen Nwankwo.