As a student, I find myself often in the situation where I have a ton of tasks piling up on my desk which I can’t really keep up with – or which I at least can’t get done at home. There are too many distractions. From my environment, from the postman who’s ringing with the parcel for the neighbor, from the neighbor himself who seems to have a knack for always choosing the best moment for throwing dance parties, or from the dirty dishes in the sink or clothes on the floor that always catch the eye exactly when I want to start tackling my university assignments.
In short: I can’t manage to find a real, deep focus in my own four walls. A focus which would allow me to get everything done as quickly as possible but as thoroughly and accurately as needed. Luckily however, I know where to go find it: in the Campus Library Südstadt. I just love entering the modern, bright building with its huge glass facades, shutting away all the possible distractions in one of the lockers in the entrance hall, and sitting down with just my computer and a bottle of water at one of the plain work desks. From then on, I’m in a working mode. My brain is primed on being a hundred percent efficient and productive in this place; and, as everyone is there for the same reason – which is to work or read without distraction –a special atmosphere of focus reigns in this building. All you can hear are a few dull movements of the other students and library visitors, people typing on their laptop keyboards or flipping pages. And you can almost hear the brain cells working 🙂
If you need a short break from all this brain activity, you can take a few minutes to catch some fresh air on the balcony or you go to the canteen building, right across the library entrance, and enjoy a coffee and a piece of cake. There are, by the way, usually some vegan options.
Among students, the library is well-known and especially during the exam periods working places are in high demand, but it is in no way exclusively for students. Even for external people, the library has plenty to offer. You can sit down in the lounge and finally read the book that you wanted to start since forever, leaf through one of the several national or international daily newspapers or browse through a magazine on some highly specialized topic that is rarely available in a local press center. If you don’t know what to read yet, you can just roam through the aisles and be surprised by the variety of different books. Or maybe you don’t want to read at all and just find a few hours to finish a work project, your personal diary or blog. Whatever it is, you can be sure that you will find your focus and your retreat from the always-distracting world here!
*With the special Covid rules, the access unfortunately is reserved for students, but that should restriction should be lifted soon. The canteen though is still open for everyone with different prices for students, employees and externals. Like all other restaurants, the food is only available for take-away; but on a sunny day, you can enjoy your meal or coffee on one of the benches in the yard.
