Library Laryngitis

Posted April 29, 2013 by Sarah Barton

Last week I had a case of acute laryngitis and could not speak any louder than a whisper, if at all. It wasn’t a huge deal (aside from being annoying), and actually led to some unintentionally comical and unfortunately stereotypical interactions when I was working at the library. People would come in and speak to me at a normal volume but I would respond in a whisper, thereby prompting them to start whispering. (It is a library, after all.) One woman even apologized after becoming self-conscious that she was speaking too loudly, at which point I assured her that I was the one having volume control issues. Speaking exclusively in a whisper is not particularly conducive to most occupations, but librarian is one of the few where it’s not that bad. Being a student, however, is not ideal when laryngitis strikes, as my five-minute final presentation was not particularly pleasant for my poor classmates who strained to listen to my hoarse, raspy voice. Needless to say, I am glad that’s over with.

Wait a second…my final presentation is done? Classes are over? April is still upon us, but it’s already summer break? I mean, I’m certainly not complaining, but man did this semester absolutely blow by. I can’t even blame laryngitis for my inability to articulate how it feels for this semester to be over. I only had two classes, so it’s not like I was overburdened with work and am now relieved that it’s done. And my job and internship are continuing through the summer (yay!), so it’s not like I’m going to be twiddling my thumbs counting down the days until classes start again the fall. I think it’s just the sudden change in routine that throws me for a loop, and it will take a week or two of not being on campus to realize that this semester is history. Three semesters down, one to go.

(If you think this laryngitis-ridden ramble of a semester ending post is a bit bizarre, just wait until December when I try to sum up my GSLIS career. Gah.)