[Publib] Re: Any good ideas to reduce noise?

[Andy Barnett]

While several people have suggested quiet study areas, also consider 
areas with relaxed rulesets. You can concentrate noisy patrons 
(especially teens) in areas with relaxed rulesets, allowing better 
enforcement of behavior related rules in other areas. When we created 
such a space, noise in the rest of the library dropped 
significantly.  The result was a large area for quiet study instead 
of a small room, along with a 5000 sq. ft. room that some patrons 
hardly recognize as a library since there are people talking loudly, 
chatting on phones, taking pictures of each other with cell phone and 
eating takeout pizza.

You can reclaim most of the library as quieter space if you are 
willing to create a "Commons" area.




Andy Barnett, Asst. Director            McMillan Memorial Library
490 East Grand Ave. Wisconsin Rapids, WI  54494
                 www.mcmillanlibrary.org
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that 
matter.  -  Martin Luther King, Jr.