The Munger Library is not only an incredible resource for literature and knowledge, but also the most popular location for students to spend their free periods on campus. Why do students spend so much time in the library, and how do they spend that time?
In the library, many students can be found completing homework, studying and socializing. For most students, the library is a place to spend free periods regardless of if they have homework to do.
“I visit the library at least once a day with friends to do work and just hang out,” Mia Ushiba ’26 said.
For many students, the biggest downside of spending time in the library is the strict rules that they must follow. There’s a four person per table policy, and food and drinks are not allowed. Failure to follow these rules leads to being kicked out of the library.
Some students even claim to have been kicked out of the library for minor infractions. Jonah Greenfeld ’27 has been kicked out of the library for dropping a binder which made a loud noise and for sitting on a table.
“The library rules are really strict and personally I don’t think they’re fair,” Greenfeld said.
Most students agree with this sentiment, but the librarians have a different take on it. They see the rules as a way to minimize noise and chaos and ensure that the library is a productive environment for students who need to do work or study. While students are given more leeway and warnings at the beginning of the year, library staff sees the punishments as justified at this point.
“[Students] know exactly what the expectations are and yet they are still choosing to [break the rules]. There are other spaces on campus if you aren’t here for the primary purpose of studying,” Christina Wagner-Wright, the library department head at the middle school said.
An additional piece of reasoning behind the strict enforcement of library rules is to ensure that touring families leave with a positive impression of the Harvard-Westlake learning facilities. Each year, Harvard-Westlake receives roughly 1,400 applicants, and it’s crucial that each visitor leaves with a proper sense of what HW actually is.
During application season, “I have a lot of students who will tell their parents excitedly that Munger library isn’t a silent library, but that’s not necessarily a selling point. When the library gets too noisy it creates a negative impression on touring students,” Wagner-Wright said.
She continued, noting that when applicant families are in the space, the four to a table policy minimizes disruption and volume, as opposed to crowding around tables.
Looking towards the future, Wagner-Wright says that the rules are fairly resolute.“[The rules are] unlikely to change. [This is] the way things have been here for quite some time,” Wagner-Wright said.
