I was interested to see a link in this week’s Outline [OULS staff newsletter] to the following article:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=408930
Should libraries be places for quiet study or should they offer opportunities for interaction and more informal work?
Personally, I think there should be a mixture, but I appreciate this approach can’t be adopted in every library. Fundamentally, though, it comes back to the question of what libraries are for. This is question with as many different answers as there are library users – and the issue has been complicated further by the increased use of computer and online resources by students (for work purposes and otherwise).
What do you think?
I’m also interested in how the work students are doing is changing: I feel that group projects are on the increase and students need library spaces where they can collaborate and practice their presentations
I also think there should be a mixture – but still separated! I personally am one of those people who needs silence to be able to concentrate fully (at least, with academic work) and when I was at university I always found it distracting to end up sitting near groups of people discussing their work. Perhaps designated work areas away from quiet study? I think a lot of libraries are starting to do this now anyway, but I know from experience that not all do.
I agree, it really does depend on what the library is for which is difficult to answer.
My old university adopted a multifaceted approach to what the ‘library’ was for by dividing itself up so there was place for informal study open 24/7 with mainly electronic resources and the more traditional library. Though even the main library was split up into various areas for different types of study and learning. For a large and diverse university this is a great approach as it offers something to meet the learning needs of most.
Another university I used the library of all the time in the holidays did use the ‘Learning Resource Centre’ term. Students I know at that university tell me they think they are fantastic, learning spaces geared up to the 21st century student. Computers everywhere, open plan layours, spaces for informal work, food and drink allowed in certain work areas. Essentially an enviroment designed for the way students want to work!
Of course Oxford is completely different again, but the system here seems to work perhaps becuase its what the students expect/need.
All of the above only really deals with university libraries, what about public libraries? I’ve never seen the point of silence in public libraries. Personally if I’m doing work I like to be in a silent enviroment but that is just because I get irritated easily but other people prefer noise and lots going on around them, so designated areas for different types of work are great. I always wanted a silent computing area at Warwick because the only place you could use a computer was in the eating and drinking areas not always great when you have a deadline!
This could be very long discussion so I shall leave it there for now…
I would agree that there is a problem with noise in libraries. Although there is a need for students to be able to talk during group work this needs to be kept to a reasonable level. I also needed to be able to work in a silent area in order to get any significant work done.
The major problem with allowing people to talk in libraries is how do you keep the noise level to a workable level. Problems can arise in ‘policing’ this and it can result in students seeing the library as an area to socialise in rather than doing group study.
I was saddened, but not surprised, when I read this article. I encountered a few instances of librarian-bashing last week – enough that I’m drafting a possible blog post about it!
As Laura says, students seem to be assessed more and more by presentations. And, with the replacement of the RAE with the REF, researchers across the subjects are being encouraged not only to collaborate more, but also to promote the “impact” of their work to a wider audience. It’s a big adjustment in scholarly practice. I think it’s unfair to criticise librarians for trying to support students during this change. Particularly when librarians are dealing with a finite amount of space and budget cuts across the board.
Personally, I like a quiet reading room – but I’m not a shush librarian. As far as it is possible, I think there should be a space in academic libraries to talk. If only so readers feel less self-conscious about asking for help from librarians. And librarians can take their time to answer these enquiries fully in a reassuring manner without feeling as though they’re intruding on the experience for other, more self-sufficient, readers. The silence in some libraries can be overwhelming. There’s nothing like the lonely, stoney silence of tomes stacked vertiginously high on heavy, dark wood shelves to make an already anxious student feel completely intimidated. I don’t want to be just a mute custodian: I want to make readers feel welcomed and supported.
It seems that other library bloggers have been discussing this article too…
http://woodsiegirl.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/should-we-shush/
http://thewikiman.org/blog/?p=274
Enjoy reading!
Do any of you want to write a little bit about the way your own libraries use library spaces? Or the way you like to see them used as a librarian? You might have noticed in the Outline article (where I mentioned the above piece) that I’m thinking about running a piece on different types of spaces in Oxford. With all of the planned changes to the Bodleian, as well as different ‘more modern’ libraries around the city, it’s a hot topic…
Oops – should have said you can email it to me either through my above post or at newsletter@ouls.ox.ac.uk.