On Fri, Dec 11, 2009 at 10:32 AM, Rinne, Nathan (ESC)
<RinneN_at_district279.org> wrote:
> "I am not pining for the old days of the library as a place for silent
> and rigorous contemplation."
>
> I am. And I don't think I'm alone - don't surveys with users in college
> libraries often show that they appreciate this aspect of the library?
Well, they may answer that on a survey, but their actual behavior
proves otherwise. I am pretty sure that you will find, on average,
for the libraries that have refashioned parts of their building as
"social space" have increased the number of bodies physically going
through the door.
As Edward noted, most academic libraries should be large enough to
accommodate both quiet and social areas.
My own anecdotal experience brings to mind:
When I was working for Emory University, they remodeled the former
graduate library and turned the main space into a "reading room". It
was pin-drop quiet in there and, generally, almost completely empty.
It has hardwood floors and when you walked from one side of the room
to the other (there were librarian offices on the far side) it made so
much noise in this quiet space that you felt like a heathen for even
entering and breaking the silence. Such a space is not terribly
welcoming, sadly. Meanwhile, there were always lots of students in
the main library, studying in carrels, working on computers, using the
group rooms and socializing.
At Georgia Tech, they turned the ground floor of both library
buildings into a social space. There were lines waiting for the
computers; students hanging out at the coffee shop; groups working on
presentations; etc. Upstairs, in the stacks -- in the quiet study
areas, it was a ghost town. So much so, that they filmed a horror
movie there: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479968/
Anyway, my point is, the library became inviting places for the
community (in this case the university community) to come and use it.
The quiet study places were still there, but if that was _all_ that
was there, the library would be mostly empty.
-Ross.
Received on Fri Dec 11 2009 - 15:18:56 EST