Is it rude to laugh in libraries?

[OldClothes]

I was in a library last week which is part of a university campus, and I noticed there were a group of girls laughing quite loudly in the quiet study area. A couple of them got up to look at something on someone's screen.

Is it rude to laugh in a quiet study area, or would it not bother you?

It’s the volume that would be inappropriate, not the laughing and also the fact that uni libraries are more set up these days for serious study rather than as a community hub, which many public libraries are these days (former librarian). So laughing not a problem per se, but loudness in a study environment is

Volume wise, they were loud enough to hear from some metres away but not so loud that everyone was looking, if you see what I mean.

If it is a dedicated study area I would be annoyed and do hope the staff is keeping an eye on it.

A public library with a children section and people browing = no problem at all.

To clarify, this was a section with desktop computers, not tables for reading etc.

It didn't especially bother me, I'm just curious.

I love libraries
Surely it's common knowledge you be quiet in them though?!
Loud laughing or talking in them would annoy me.
People are usually there to study or read /browse in peace.

@EeeICouldRipATissue

I love libraries Surely it's common knowledge you be quiet in them though?! Loud laughing or talking in them would annoy me. People are usually there to study or read /browse in peace.

I guess so - but I sometimes the norms may be different on campuses.

If it's a quiet study space, I would just do a discreet ' shhhhh'

Some libraries are a bit louder, but definitely not the quiet study space!

If it is a designated quiet study area then it shouldn't be happening. If it isn't then fine as long as it isn't long, loud and raucous.

Thing is many students have tiny bedrooms and the library becomes a social soace almost like a living room…

I was really surprised at uni when I went to the library and found how social it was!

I think it really depends on the library and the situation. Most librarians will tell you that you really don't have to be quiet in a public library these days, but a study area or reading room in a university library is a different matter I think. Unless it's designed as a collaborative workspace.

It wouldn't bother me as a one-off, though. I'd only be irritated by if they'd settled in for an hour-long chat or something. A quick chuckle at something on a computer screen wouldn't be something I'd even remember, to be honest.