The librarians have met their limit.
After lab periods filled with rising chatter, they’re calling for a return to the quiet, productive space the library is intended to be.
Due to excessive noise disrupting the library, librarians have implemented new restrictions during lab periods to limit the number of visitors and reduce talking. The doors leading to Gordon Parks Arts Hall are now closed during lab periods, so students have to check in with a librarian before entering the library. Students’ volume will be regulated closely.
The librarians decided to act after observing that the library was becoming too loud and not a place where productive work could occur during lab periods.
“It just wasn’t a place where you could actually get work done and have a quiet place to think and focus, so we decided that we needed to do something,” librarian Shirley Volk said.
Junior Kathryn Bean frequently works in the library, even before the noise policy was implemented, as she finds it the most convenient place to study. She finds she is more productive now that the library is quiet.
“It used to be really loud in here,” Kat said, “but now it’s very quiet and I can focus on my work.”
Although sophomore Zoe Cobb understood the need for the restrictions, she feels they limit community-building opportunities that the library provides.
“I feel like the library is definitely the place where I would just run into people all the time to start small conversations, and I would always see different groups of people interacting and meshing in the library,” Zoe said. “I feel like that has definitely been hard with the new library restrictions.”
Zoe, who acknowledged she enjoys conversing openly in the library, also understands why restrictions are in place.
“I completely understand where it’s coming from because there has been a lot of disruption in the library recently,” Zoe said. “It is honestly not a good place to go if you’re needing somewhere quiet to get work done.”
Ninth grader Abhi Majumdar also supported the changes.
“I used to hang out in the library to be honest, but I think it’s actually good because there’s really no other place to, like, study quietly,” Abhi said. “It used to be just like another lounge.”
Ms. Volk and fellow librarian Susan Augustine also recognized the lack of dedicated quiet study spaces in the school.
“It’s not that we’re against socializing,” Ms. Volk said. “It’s just that during these periods when everyone’s free, we feel like the school really needs to have a place where students can do that and it feels like the students that are in here appreciate that.”
In response to the new library policy, the sophomore Student Council has passed a bill that asks administrators to supervise more rooms during lab periods, creating more space for group work.
Class of 2027 president Aiden Yu said the Student Council received student feedback last year about the limitations of working in the library, but now that the library’s policy has become stricter, the council decided to move forward on the bill.
Zoe and Abhi reacted positively to student council efforts to open up rooms for less-quiet work. They say having more rooms available during lab periods would be helpful.
Zoe said, “It’s hard to find spaces, especially where you can go, that isn’t just like sitting in the middle of a hallway, to work on group projects … I definitely think supervised rooms is a great solution.”
Since only a few non-co-curricular weeks have passed since the policy was implemented, Ms. Volk and Ms. Augustine plan to continuously monitor the progress.
“We’ll just see how well the students have taken our message, like the Schoology posts and tons of signs… I think it’s really good evidence when the kids that are in here are working quietly and helping each other be quiet,” Ms. Volk said.
