A Toe-tally Traumatising Library Experience

There is an unwritten code of library etiquette but Catherine Poole is still shocked by the number of students without their socks on.

A successful library session requires just three things: a meal deal, an ounce of motivation and some earphones to drown out the whispers of students who do not understand the meaning of ‘silent study’.

There are just some things that you do not do in a library. I’m talking about taking off your shoes, and especially socks, in the library.

It is time to educate people on library attire. First and foremost: it is a study space, not a spa retreat.

I can understand how a library could be mistaken for a sauna, due to the abundance of sweat from a mixture of heat and pressing deadlines, combined with a lack of air circulation, but I can assure you, you are just in the library.

Nothing is more horrifying than fumbling around under your desk, innocently searching for that highlighter you dropped, to be greeted by the naked toe of the guy sat at the cubicle opposite you.

At that point, you have to admit de-feet. There is no way anyone would be capable of working after that traumatic experience.

Suddenly, everything you have revised for the past three hours has been replaced with vivid flashbacks of his hairy feet and ingrown toenail.

It is not just the sight of a bare foot that is off-putting and, quite frankly, completely gross. It is also the horrific smell.

There is an unwritten code of library etiquette that everyone mutually adheres to. Do not eat cheesy Doritos, McDonalds and absolutely NO pastrami sticks (they are an offence to the nose). Do not forget the lack of air conditioning makes the smell linger for longer – it’s the same with your feet.

So why on earth would you force the stench of your cheesy feet onto other students who are already suffering enough, sitting in the library doing work that they do not understand?

Shoes are a wonderful invention. They protect your feet from hard surfaces, keep them warm and can even spice up a boring outfit. Embrace them. Keep them on your feet.

Behind closed doors, by all means study with your feet out, in the air, or entirely naked, do as you wish. But please, have some respect for your fellow library users and keep your toes to yourself during your next big library sesh.