talking in the library!

[elderwand90]

Right so I have an hour spare before work. Thought I would just pop in to the library and read my book in nice quiet comfort as there was to point in going all the way home to then come back to where my work is. Anyway trying to read my book and 3 staff members are at the desk chatting and gossiping away rather loudly I can here the full conversation which is rather off putting when trying to read! WIBU ask them to stop? It's driving me nuts

[JacquesHammer]

YABU

Our library (which sadly I am boycotting so haven't been in a while) has signs up reminding people it's a quiet space

[allnewredfairy]

I work in an acaemic library where we 'zone' our floors for staff and students requiring different types of study space ranging from silent to group study areas.
I don't think you are being unreasonable to expect your library to provide a silent/quiet space but YABU to expect staff not to chat in a general area. Noise blocking headphones are your friend in this situation.

[RiverTam]

I think libraries, when a specific activity isn't taking place, should be reasonably quiet, people still use them to read and study in. Luckily the staff at our local library agree and do ask people to keep it down and are quiet themselves.

[0pti0na1]

YANBU. I'd prefer the library to be quiet, so that people can study or concentrate in peace if they need to. The world is mostly noisy these days so a library can be a unique quiet haven if it's quiet. There are zillions of other places people can go to talk etc.

[StarryIllusion]

I'd love there to still be a quiet rule in libraries. No loud chatting, phones playing music, kids clubs, cafes, kids running about and screaming. Much prefered them when they were practically silent and filled with bookshelves that you could get lost in.

[Unicorn1981]

It is really annoying. I think larger libraries have 'study areas' where you do have to be silent. I got really annoyed once at this lady on the bus watching a loud programme on her iPad because I had that one bus journey between dropping dd off and going to work and I really wanted to read my book. I wanted to explode but I whbu. The slightest noise irritates me when I'm reading!

[HeddaLettuce]

The point is that silence isn't expected in libraries these days. Normal noise is fine

Thats a bad thing. Hard enough these days to find anywhere you can have some peace, there is always peoples noise everywhere: music and tv's and phones and people yabbering away endlessly, and noisy shreiky children and traffic etc etc.
Who decided libraries were yet another place we must all enjoy the sound of other peoples boring minutiae at full volume?

[Lorelei76]

I hope the OP comes back and sees it's not just her who wants quiet in a library

to the poster who said a woman was watching TV on the bus - without earphones, I'd have said something right away, that would drive me nuts. or I'd start playing my music out loud.

[deadringer]

Re libraries being silent places, i was in our local children's library recently with two little girls age three and four. They were very well behaved, picking out books for me to read to them. There were no other kids there but there was three or four adults on computers on the far side of a very large room. I was reading in a conversational tone, not whispering, not raising my voice by any means, when one of the staff approached me and asked if i could lower my voice as someone had complained. I assume it was one of the people on the computers. I understand that people go to the library to look for jobs and other stuff but it's a children's library. I was raging, we were the only people who were actually there to look at books which to my mind is what a library is intended for but i was embarrassed and just left. I went on a site similar to this one and asked if iwbu and i wad told by the vast majority that i wbvvu as libraries are supposed to be silent. I haven't been back since. There isn't much point bringing small children to a library if you can't read to them imo.

[civilfawlty]

Having spent the day in the library listening to a woman on her fucking phone running a business, you have my sympathy. I agree, with regret, they aren't places of silent reverie any more; but do strongly feel there should be some consideration for all the other people in there reading and working. Surely quiet talking/ whispers and no phones/ music/ TV streaming is just courteous

[JacquesHammer]

Also Libraries need to sort out the fining system (or at least our council do) because it stops people using them when they're not prepared to pay fines they didn't incur.

My DD and I used ours every 3 weeks. She goes still but I can't take any books out with fines on my card which they won't remove.

[Lorelei76]

dead "There isn't much point bringing small children to a library if you can't read to them imo."

um, you take the books out of the library on loan and read to them at home?

[elderwand90]

Well at least some people agree with me and I'm not a total weirdo for wanting quiet time in a library!

[HeddaLettuce]

dead "There isn't much point bringing small children to a library if you can't read to them imo.

You can read to them, quietly.

[deadringer]

We have lots of books at home lorelei, going to the library is an experience in itself. Why have toys, toddler sized seats, colouring books etc if you are supposed to take the books and go? And surely if child free adults want some quiet computer time they can go into the adult library next door.
And yes jaques i wish they would sort out the fines, i am scrupulous about getting books back on time but i still manage to mysteriously owe money now and again.

[Lorelei76]

there's an adult library next door?
okay, that's weird.

[Ameliablue]

Libraries aren't particularly quiet anymore but library assistants gossiping loudly is a bit much I personally wouldn't say anything though.

[BackforGood]

We must be lucky where I live then, as there are different areas for different purposes - there's a computer area, a teen zone, a children's area, a study area as well as obviously the shelves of books which are situated near the desk where staff are (and may be talking). I didn't realise that other peoples libraries were all so small it wouldn't be possible to sit away from the noiser areas.

[Lucydogz]

YANBU. our library is used by students as a study area - not that they seem to do anything apart from yack yack yack.

[Lilaclily]

Our uni library let's the public in for reading in quiet spaces, you could investigate your nearest one op?

[glueandstick]

I miss them being quiet. Everywhere is noisy now. It's one reason I don't use the library any more. The other being people being unable to look after books and they are mingingly dirty.

[Spaghettidog]

In fairness, when I used to use the Humanities 2 reading room in the British Library regularly, I got to know a lot about the library assistants' personal lives -- well, and also them having to roar in the ears of the kind of elderly men who tut sand say 'I CAN'T understand you, m'dear - the young these days mumble so much!' when being unable to use the ordering system - so I don't think it's entirely confined to local libraries.

Having said that, the central library in our nearest city has the 'silent study' area, used by students, situated right next to the children's section, which hosts a noisy toddler time with singing twice a week.