I’ve even submitted suggestion cards and e-mails to both my local library and to the county library commission. I get phone calls from the library staff just giving me excuses of how they’re trying to balance things. I guess my question is, what is it about today that it should be any different? The sad truth is, people simply don’t understand the concept of peace and quiet anymore. We are inundated with noise all the time. What kind of example are we setting for future generations?

By the way….as I’m writing this, I’m sitting in the public library with people talking all around me. There’s no such thing as a quiet space in this facility, because it’s just one huge room divided by library stacks and furniture. When I walked in, there was a full supply of moms and their kids, apparently just coming out of some activity, just talking at the top of their lungs like they were at the mall. Thankfully most of them have dissipated at this point, but there’s still a continuing dull roar all around me.

I don’t mind at all that you’re honest (like I was)

I do want to clarify one thing – I said “my table” but of course I didn’t mind sharing! In fact when I came back after lunch I sat at a full table – but it was a full table of studiers – not talkers hehe

Growing up we always went to the academic library – not the public library – probably for this reason. The problem now (at least in my area) is that academic libraries are limited those who can enter to students I understand limiting who can borrow materials and even limiting who can use the computers, but I just wanted to be in a library to work so that I wasn’t at home with the dogs, the laundry, the vacuuming and all the other things that always distract me from working.

I’m going to assume that you went to a public library – since there were children running around.

Apparently you went to this public library on a Saturday. I can tell you that going to a public library on a Saturday or a Sunday virtually guarantees space is going to be at a premium. The librarian told the patron that they could “wait until a room is available” – so I’m guessing this particular library was no different. So it isn’t that “a part of the library should be” quiet — a part is — that part was just filled.

You also say that the man sat down with his group “at my table.” Again – I’m guessing space was hard to come by – so they sat at “your” table. I’ve actually noticed that people are pretty good about sharing space at our library when the tables fill up. Come in on the weekends and you won’t be able to sit unless you share. Given the nature of education’s passion for group work – our tables and group study rooms are in very high demand. I don’t know if there is a public librarian out there who looks forward to managing that demand.

We’re limited in our space, so we try to manage it the best we can. There was a man who came in about a week ago who was trying to conduct a job interview over skype. Another patron complained – so I had to deal with that. Unfortunately, sometimes the public library ISN’T the best place to go for certain things. He wasn’t happy that we didn’t have individual “call rooms.” Sometimes people complain that there is a group talking and it is disturbing them. I’ll usually swing by and see if they are being raucous or if they are actually doing group work. We ask that people keep their voices down – but more often than not we look for ways to accommodate. Often, if a person is complaining over expected disturbances — children with parents, some conversation – things you can expect in a public library – we will mention that this is indeed a public library, and that if they are looking for a quiet place for sustained study – perhaps the academic library or university library would be a better choice. But now we’ve added one more chink to our armor…

Now I’ll tell you what some of our smartest patrons have come up with – and what we have co-opted – earplugs! We’ve noticed that several patrons that work here daily have their laptops, their books, their beverages — and their earplugs. Not earbuds, actual earplugs – designed to be a portable silent environment. They are the truly hardcore study animals. We noticed this, and we decided to purchase earplugs in bulk. They are individually wrapped in plastic – on which we slap a label sticker with “compliments of your library.” We can control our limited spatial environment in the library only so much, sometimes it’s best to educate people on how they can take control of their own environment.

I’ve run into this problem at our libraries and I’m sure others have as well. Some patrons I’ve seen that prefer a quieter library know the times to come in when the louder patrons are not around. We don’t always have that option but I think it’s natural that there will be quieter and louder times at a library.

I always liked going to the library when I was a kid, and it was definitely the shushing kind back then (Liz can tell us if it still is). I didn’t feel oppressed by it, and I didn’t feel that my inherent childlike nature was being put down. But then again I was a bookworm, so it fit. Nowadays we’re going after more than just the bookworms.