Observing the Library
The location I chose to observe was the third floor of the library. I chose this location because I spend quite a lot of time here and I think in certain ways it is a unique location. I say that because even though it is very familiar to me and I may discover something I never noticed before now that I am tasked to with observing the area.
For the most part, the library is a very quiet and relaxing place, so I made observations at different times of the day to capture a different atmosphere. I made my first observations on Friday after my 12 pm class. As I walk out of the elevator I notice a large cylindrical pillar connecting the floor and the ceiling, on the left a row of chairs pushed into the elevated desk and in the corner and individual working quietly. When you look over the desk, you are exposed to the second floor and a large window that frames the outside world, and you can see students walking too and from the library. I make a left and there are 4 cushioned chairs and a circular table at the center of them, behind there is a glass barrier with metal railing, overlooking that barrier, are stairs leading to the second floor. At the center of this area is a fleet of desks and chairs, and most of them were occupied with students working diligently. Past all of that was another large window that gave a view of the new building that is being constructed. I decided to sit in the back next to the cupboards and continue observing. The library is full of open spaces, so a lot of small sounds are augmented. The most prominent sounds came from the ongoing construction right next to the library, but I could also hear people typing, the flipping of pages, and the ding from the elevator. People were constantly leaving and entering, the sound of footsteps, and doors opening and closing were never absent for too long. Some of the more memorable but rarer sounds were the wheels when the cleaning lady pushed her cart down the hallways and the jingling keys of the security guard as he patrolled. There is not much I can say about the smell of the library, there were no distinct or unusual smells.
Regarding things I have never seen before while in the library, there were people there that I had never seen before. There was a worker from the library that I had never seen before, I had a short interaction with them. Right before I was about to leave there was a group that entered the library and they were extremely loud.
Something that was absent that I expected, even though it is a library I thought it would be a little bit louder, but it is a place where were you sit for a while and eventually all the little sounds stop becoming noticeable, you kind of get used to them.
When I came back to the library later that day, there were fewer people. A library is usually a quiet place, but at this time the silence was even more noticeable, the construction has stopped and the only people I saw pass by were the cleaning lady and the security guard, there was little to no activity.