For years, debates have raged over the appropriate volume levels in libraries. Should they maintain a serene quiet, with librarians ready to shush any loud disruptions? Perhaps there could be designated quiet zones for those seeking focused study, while allowing for a slightly livelier atmosphere in areas designated for children. The time of librarians expecting hushed whispers from children as they browse the stacks seems to have passed.
Libraries have evolved into more than bookshelves and are now community centers, where people gather for meetings and activities, with some noise becoming an integral part of the experience, particularly in areas catering to children. As librarians, we strive to foster a love of learning in families and children. While reading is central, we also aim to cultivate lifelong learners through interactive experiences.
The Every Child Ready to Read initiative emphasizes talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing. I would argue that these activities inherently involve making noise and should thus be embraced as part of the library atmosphere. Many libraries now offer dedicated play areas with educational toys, puppets, coloring stations, blocks, scavenger hunts, and more. These encourage families to engage in enriching activities together.
In addition to these important library spaces for children, children’s programming has also become more common. STEAM programs, storytimes, and various other activities are frequently provided for families. Smaller libraries may lack designated programming spaces and may defer to having storytime in the children’s area. Reading and singing songs together are lively and engaging activities, not quiet ones.
Although I love a loud and lively children’s section, ideally, libraries are large enough to have space for adults to work or read quietly. Study rooms, meeting rooms, or an adult corner of the library are generally quieter spaces with rules about noise levels, allowing people to focus.
I don’t think that libraries will or should go back to being places where the librarian tells you to be quiet for raising your voice a bit. The Washington post has an amazing article by Karen MacPherson about this very topic.
What do you think? Should libraries be quiet?
Tarhib IT Limited
Thought-provoking discussion on the role of quiet in libraries! Your balanced perspective and engaging insights are much appreciated. Thanks for sharing this fascinating article!
JW
It is difficult to read and study when there are noisy activities in the same space.
There needs to be a proper separation of noisy and quiet spaces. As an alternative, librarians could get out and about and visit community centres and provide activities. This would enable the harder to reach communities to benefit from early reading initiatives etc.
EM
Agree with JW— there has to be attention to both. If there aren’t enough spaces to have “noise-OK” sections and at least one quiet section, err on the side of quiet. Libraries should be welcoming, of course; but the idea of the library as a quiet place to study or read should not be abandoned. The world is full of noisy places: community centers, lunch rooms, YMCAs, playgrounds, and internet cafes. As as kid, the quiet reverence for books at our local library was exactly what made it a special and kind of magical place to me. I was never offended by the expectation of quiet because it was understood to be out of respect for people enjoying some reading or engaged in learned pursuits.
Bonnie
I think there’s no problem with being quiet in a library. Libraries have tables for studying and reading, and those tables are often throughout the rows of books. If they want to have a space for readings and other events for children or whomever else, they should have a space for that instead. It’s not offensive of unwelcoming to have expectations of quiet. Libraries absolutely SHOULD be quiet and relaxed.