I often spend my free time between classes in the library, reading articles online or books, and occasionally just reflecting on myself. I also use it as a “checkpoint” before going to City Proper. Within my university, it's one of the only places where you can relax comfortably with air conditioning, sofa chairs, and bean bags, and have a nap after a tiring day.
It gets full before and after lunch. Some would even sit on the floor between the bookshelves just to stay. Vacant seats are always available in the early morning and late afternoon. I remember whenever my classmates wanted to stay there, we would send one person (sometimes me) to check out the place if it was full. If not, I would announce on our section group chat that "it's vacant, lakat na kamo dri (come here) and get a seat!" The best seats are the ones where the air conditioning fan directly hits you. But the room’s cold enough anyway to sit in, even if you’re away, except in summer.
Do you know they provide free coffee and snacks during the midterms and finals? It runs out quickly but you’ll appreciate the effort to give out energy boosters and help students make it through the day. In a way, it’s as if they do care about you succeeding.
While it might not be the best, it certainly provides a haven for students to relax, study, and even spend time socializing without having to pay hourly (unlike the study hubs within Iloilo City). For many, that might already be good enough. I just wish we had more of these spaces in public, like what I saw in Singapore. As long as more people see the value of libraries as public spaces for knowledge, support will follow and we might see them built with better lighting, more spacing, and plenty of diverse books to read.