“It’s a piercing shrill that shatters the silence of the already sad, sad experience of working long hours on a weekend night,” senior Rachel White wrote in an email March 23.
While most students begin shuffling out of the library, a few students, some consciously and others unconsciously, remain. Junior Dan Zhang experienced his first "lock-in" at Perkins while working on a computer science project.
"To be honest I didn't realize I was locked in," Zhang said. "I was working on a project in the Link, and we just kind of kept going. It was weird seeing the library so empty. I don't think even the custodial staff was there."
When White experienced her first lock-in, she too felt confused at the persistently shrieking bell and rushed to the door to leave. She was barely able to make it out her first time.
“There's a giant metal gate that's wound up above the exit and that is released by a lever near the door,” White said. “Once they decide to close, it unwinds slowly, until it is locked in place.”
Although the gates make it more difficult for students to exit the library, it is not entirely impossible. An alternative exit exists next to Bostock Library.
“I would sprint to the door in the hopes of reaching the main exit before it would close,” White said. “Most times, however, disappointed at my lack of success and also sleepy to the max, I’d trudge my way to the alternative exit, smiling at the security guard along the way. At least I would be in my bed, soon.”
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