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Akpo Uyeh: These Are the People You Find in the Nigerian University Libraries

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Who says the library is only for the  Nerds aka ‘Efikos’ /’Efiwes’? It is ‘home’ to different sets of people. During examination period, the library is usually flooded with students and getting a seat could be quite difficult. This is not the case on normal days.

While some libraries are nothing to write home about, others are up to standard and world class. Besides being a building for reading, research and getting information, the library might just be another haven to get away from all the noise, particularly if your roommates are the noisy type.

Basically, there are different sets of people you find in the library on different missions. In a typical Nigerian university library, here are the types of students you are likely to find below:

Seat Savers
Their books are kept to maintain their spaces. These students would never use to library yet they would keep space. It is either they are going for class or somewhere else. Instead of allowing someone else who is very much around in the library to use it, they would use their books and materials to deceive people that they are coming back.

Exam freaks
It is only during examination period that this set of people remember that they have library cards. They would be the first to resume with the library workers and the last to close with them.

The Sleepers
This set of people cannot ‘come and kill themselves’ because of school work. After reading one book, they are off to Dreamland. The good thing about this set of people is that they leave the library like every other student feeling that they have read enough and made good use of their time.

The phone chargers
They are always with extensions and their phone/laptop chargers. Electricity supply is usually constant in the library, these people see it as a good opportunity to boost the battery lives of their ‘dying’ devices.

‘I was here‘ inscriptors
They mostly belong to the final year students who about to graduate. In order to make their presence felt, they would write their names on the library walls, seats and desk just to show they were there indeed.

Food smugglers
There are rules in the libraries and one of them is not to smuggle food to eat there. This set of people, probably foodies, would hide sweets, biscuits, chewing gum, groundnuts, chocolates and the likes to eat in the library. On sighting any library official, they hide their faces, so they are not caught eating.

Attention seekers
Slay mamas, Pepper dem gang, beard gang and every other fashion conscious individual fall into this category. You might be forced to turn your eye from your book to look at them. If you are very disciplined and don’t want to be distracted, their perfume might hit you and you would have no option but to look up.

The Oppressors
They always have the latest edition of books and materials. They also oppress with the latest gadgets and laptop. They are solely in the library for the competition. If you don’t know why you came to the library, you might end up comparing yourself to them.

Freebie Fiends
These people recognise opportunities and make the best us to of it. Is it free newspaper? Or the encyclopaedias? Or free browsing sections? Not forgetting WiFi? Yes, they’re there for the Internet connection to download all the necessary and unnecessary.

Rule breakers
The library is meant to be as quiet as a graveyard, phone calls and other form of noisy activities are prohibited. However, these set of people would still be caught making phone calls and gisting.

The Never-Beens
They have never set their legs into the library yet, you wonder how they still manage to get straight As. These are the same people that say they have not read, and the gullible ones believe them and tag along… not knowing they burn the midnight oil soaked in their books!

Having said this, which one are/were the you? Or which one did I leave out?

Photo Credit: Ammentorp | Dreamstime

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