Facilities Girl Rates: serene places to read a book on campus
Amid the hustle and bustle of campus, it comes time to put the phone on airplane mode and let it fall to the bottom of your bag.
Words by xoxo Facilities Girl (Vicki Griffin)
Time to settle back with a physical object in your hand—a bound book, with tangible pages. Where your login can’t time out and interrupt the reading experience, where the screen doesn't flicker with notifications drawing your eyes from the page, for people reacting to messages in Microsoft Teams or emails that are somehow never really very important, without the AI chatbot eagerly offering to auto-summarise, in dot points, what the book has to say.
But, what makes a great place to read? Of course, you will know, this is very subjective. But join me on a journey to weigh up seven options on campus I have tried.
5. The chairs outside Bon Voyage coffee shop
Pros: There are good vibes here, a fresh breeze, an appropriate amount of shelter. In easy reach of a food and beverage vendor, the furniture lacks a snug or cosy factor, but this is a great place to open a book in spring and summer. As an added bonus, particularly if you are enjoying a snack, it is almost guaranteed you will become acquainted with the local birdlife.
Cons: The local birdlife are shameless in pursuit of their objective, stealing your food. They also lack respect for or even a basic understanding of personal space boundaries.
4. The grassy area beside the lake on campus
Pros: Behold the beauty of the campus lake! There are ducks, there is greenery, there is shade…a more idyllic space does not exist, perhaps, at any South Australian University. Lift your eyes from the page of your book, let them unfocus, allow time to simply pass as you breathe the fresh air and simply be among nature.
Cons: There are also bees, and they are attracted to you, especially if you use floral scented soap; I know this from personal experience.
3. The chairs at the far entrance of the hub
Pros: These are the most comfortable outdoor chairs I have ever sat on in my life, spacious, and you can settle back and occasionally lift your eyes from your book to take in the stunning views all the way down the hill to the ocean.
Cons: Not very sheltered from the elements—bring a big coat or blanket during the cooler months. Also, this is a thoroughfare within earshot of the big screen over the plaza that sometimes plays loud videos, which can be distracting.
2. The bleachers just outside the library exit on the second floor, looking onto the entrance to the hub
Pros: This is the best place to be if it is raining. You sit facing a beautiful huge window, that makes you feel so cosy when it is streaming with rain. Especially if the rain has been unexpected, and you are now watching people sprint for the bus trying to avoid the inclement weather.
Cons: This is a very popular spot and so you definitely need to stake your place in advance. Best on weekends or evenings when demand is not so high.
1. Armchairs in Sturt Library
Pros: Once you’ve worked out how to enter this building (it took me five attempts on my first try), you’ll find a welcoming space with a surplus of book displays. Walk toward the communal area: over there, by the window, a cosy nook lies in wait. Ignore the comically small table. With a sunny window behind you, settle inside. Finally, time to slip inside that novel you've been reading...
Cons: Something about the subjects taught in this location attract the kind of people who are extroverted to go to the library in big groups to have extensive conversations. This is totally fine—actually kind of nice—but a real change from the immersive quiet of Bedford Park Library. Eventually, you may grow fond of it. But I’ve heard parking is hard enough for the students at this campus already—so let’s keep this hidden gem a secret, between you and me.
This article was first published in Issue 3 of Empire Times.