Korean Job Discussion Forums

[laogaiguk]

I was talking to my sister about the school board back home giving all the teachers laptops when they don't have enough fricken textbooks for the children (another thread) and I brought up all the places students could go to use a computer. I said in the library, at home, at the library, etc. I just thought after that might be hard for ESL students.

FOR ME (if you think the same or differently, please say)

in the library = whatever school you go to. So if you are talking to someone, their library. If you are talking about yourself, your school's library. Also, if your job had a library (like maybe a law firm) in the library would be fine too.

at the library = public library.

Do you agree? Just a thought that came to me last night. If so, just goes to show the complexity of English.

[Amber72]

Wouldn't the difference be that "Students can use a computer in the library" is referring to the action of the student; whereas "Students can use a computer at the library" is pointing out the location of the computer? I don't think the use of "in" or "at" in these sentences has anything to do with library membership...

[laogaiguk]

Where do you study?

At the library = public library

In the library = school library

Could someone explain this for me, even if it's just the way I speak and not normal. Thanks

[flotsam]

[Woland]

I went to The Compleat Lexical Tutor (http://132.208.224.131/), which is a great resource for looking at things like this and got a surprise when I ran 'in the library' v 'at the library' through a concordancing progam using combined corpora of 4 million words.

Concordance for 'in the library' - 21 examples

1 home. It is the AID's intention to create in the library "a miniature museum of Americana" before com
2 y coloured Trefoils. Find a book of flags in the library and make tiny copies of six or seven differe
3 ntine vase in the hall, the Renoir painting in the library, as well as the long shelves of well-bound v
4 ng to get in four years. They had brandy in the library. Boxell looked at Lawrence with a searching
5 ion-seeking behaviour Information seeking in the library context can be divided between the catalogue
6 e a relevance judgement in the first place. In the library context it should be possible to go further
7 not you know the rest." There was silence in the library for several moments, whilst Joan digested th
8 exams soon, so I'm spending a lot of time in the library. If you turn this letter over, you'll see
9 O: INT. <51:810> BLUE PINE LODGE - NIGHT In the library, JOSIE swings out a book shelf panel / door
10 unately grown in tandem with her shelf space in the Library of Congress. * I am married to Helene Siegel
11 nd actually they've got two miniature scores in the library, one of which said it was in E flat, and the
12 re you doing? Are you coming in with me and in the library or whatever? Oh no! Being dropped at half
13 ded. "Yeah; isn't he just." Aunt Ilsa was in the library; she had a heavy cold at the time and I am t
14 Welch Sneakers #2 - Walt Stack Soda - magic in the library Soda - telekinesis experiment Stereo Equipme
15 TO: INT. <53:1179> BLUE PINE LODGE - DAY In the library, the telephone rings just as JOSIE walks bes
16 from some fifty volumes of published music in the library, the work of twenty-five contemporary compos
17 maker? Sandwich maker? Oh I, I looked in the library today! I'm going to get erm a book, I think
18 leather cartridge bag. The book-binding in the library was the work of seven firms. Most prominen
19 O: INT. <56:746> BLUE PINE LODGE - NIGHT In the library, we see CATHERINE grabbing books off the she
20 cyphered design on the leather shelf edging in the library. William Nicholson's portrait of Queen Eli
21 e. That's right. Pec They're peculiar in the library. Yeah, libraries are very funny aren't the

Concordance for 'at the library' - 2 examples

1 501> ROGERS Boy all the things that they do at the library. <32:502> McFEELY Many things there. <
2 off you go now oh oh well, Joanna's at the library yes remembered to tell me thank you ver

I really didn't expect quite such a discrepancy in frequency. Not only is the complexity of English amazing, but the things you think you know, but don't.

It appears that 'in' is used when we are referring the location of something else within a library, whether public or private (this is unsurprising). 'In' is used to refer to libraries which are rooms in private homes, while 'at' is used for the public library when referring to it not as a physical space, but as a conceptual one. There's probably more detail in there, but this is what caught my eye in a quick look.

Interesting question. I learned something.

EDIT: Added URL. Flotsam's example points also to the importance of discourse context for shaping our choices in language use. Another reason why all the grammar drills in the world won't necessarily help the kids. (I'm going to steal that example to use later; it's a good one.)

[flotsam]

Well, of course, I was referring to discourse context. Just dumbing it down for lgg, that utter boob.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Along the same lines:

[laogaiguk]

[flotsam]

Ingrate!

[laogaiguk]

[flotsam]

[antoniothegreat]

i would agree with what the OP is saying. in my unqualified opinion, "in the library" would be used in a context where the library is in something else, such as a school or bigger building. "at the library" would be used where the library and the building are the same (like a public library).

so IF this is correct, normally a school library is not the only part of the building it is in, usually there are classrooms, cafes, labs as part of that building, so "in the library" would usually be right for a school library.

[Woland]

[Hanson]