I'm in a library right now and people are just blatantly talking at full volume. Both the patrons and the staff. I've had several other experiences like this in the past few years.
Libraries used to be literally the only place in society where you were expected to keep your voice down or not speak at all, and give people peace and quiet. Where you could just sit down and get lost in a book and have no one distract you!
Nowadays libraries are pretty much a place for people to use public computers and for school kids to study. And believe it or not the kids are usually the quiet ones.
All I'm asking for is one public place where people are quiet. Just one.
I encourage you to let staff know how you feel. A good library will prioritize its patrons’ experiences, especially people who regularly use the services.
That said, libraries are only as good as their staff. I’ve worked in a library where some patrons walking around looking at books were absolutely unacknowledged by other librarians (a term I use for all library staff who work with patrons). One in particular is in fact the longest-serving employee, but unless they approached the desk when she was there or spoke directly to her, she would ignore them entirely in favor of her favorite patrons to whom she would chat idly and endlessly—I cannot get into all the rubbish that went on there. Anyway there’s another, well-respected library that even though its area of town is going sadly downhill, maintains its expectations of respect. Visitors are held accountable to use “inside voices”, and I’ve talked to lovely librarians there who showed more passion, consideration and knowledge in 1 minute than three different coworkers at the other library did in 8 months.
My point is, if this branch you visited is near you, definitely speak up any way you can. There are libraries that have “loud days” and “quiet days,” or separate sections for talking or quiet. Libraries exist for everyone and that includes people who need calm places to read or study. If you don’t get a positive response from whoever works there then make your experience known to the larger system they’re part of or accountable to.
Great librarians who care about their communities still exist. Even though I volunteer at another branch now with very few hours, I’m still committed to libraries and patrons and have joined a local library council to encourage more of our local branches to put our people first.
Good luck!!
Thanks for your response, that's a good idea. I'm not a super frequent library visitor but I have visited several different branches in the last few years and it seems to be just a general thing now where it's treated more like a public open plan office or community social area rather than a quiet place to study or read. And yes there are quiet corners but it doesn't help when the whole thing is open plan and you can clearly hear people talking at normal volume from the other side of the room.
I think I will also try a few other branches and see if I find one I like. Great to know there are still passionate librarians like yourself out there
Thank you as well! I really hope it goes well for you.
Whatever the outcome, don’t give up—I guarantee there are people who feel as you do, but don’t say anything because they feel outnumbered or think they won’t be heard. And it’s true that seniority and status quo often override the greater needs. But, eventually those of us staff who do care will amplify our concerns loudly enough to drown out such meaningless chatter.