Libraries were once for students to not only learn something
new, but places to go to study for all those subjects they’re
already learning. Times have changed.
Because of the noise level at the LPC library, some students
have found that it is not always a good place to get work done.
“A lot of people go in and don’t actually study,”
said Kristen Stivers, an LPC student. “It’s usually
large groups who make the most noise.”
Sometimes noisemakers are quieted down by librarians, other
times they are left unnoticed, making it hard for individuals
who need to concentrate. “The only times I’ve ever
seen anybody be quieted down are when they’re in the back
and there’s a class tour,” said Stivers.
Aileen Furuyama, a full-time LPC librarian, agrees that the
noise level in the library gets fairly high at times. “Usually
between 10 and 12 [in the morning] it starts to go up and maximizes
around 12,” said Furuyama. “We do go around when it
gets too noisy and we ask them to tone it down.”
Jay Santhan, an LPC student, has noticed that even after people
are made aware of how much noise they are making, it doesn’t
always seem to help. “The librarians usually tell them to
keep it down or go into conference rooms, but it only calms down
a little bit,” said Santhan. “It usually doesn’t
help too much.”
The library’s three soundproof study rooms and two larger
conference rooms are insufficient, according to student Johnas
DeLeon. “I think they’re great, but I don’t think
there’s enough of them,” said DeLeon. “There are
times when the noise level is really, really high and there aren’t
enough private booths to accommodate students who want to study
quietly.”
Other students have noticed that the rooms fill up fairly
fast, so they can’t always use them when they need to. “They
need more of the really big [rooms] with the white boards,”
said Stivers. “They’re awesome for the study groups.”
The noisemakers in the library aren’t always just students
socializing; it also comes from students doing work. “I
feel guilty complaining about the noise because I make it too,”
said Stivers. “It’s not always social people; it’s
study groups, too, because they can’t always use the study
rooms.”
Furuyama knows that students have trouble when the library
gets too loud and says she does her best to accommodate all the
students. “We do everything we can to help them and facilitate
a quiet environment, but if they come to socialize, then it’s
a problem,” said Furuyama. “The students themselves
have to want to make this a library to study in.”
Furuyama suggests a small area in the back corner of the library.
It has a couch, chairs, and a table, and is buffered by the stacks
of books, so it is quieter.
Stivers says she likes to study other places on and off campus.
“There’s a little courtyard behind the theater that’s
really nice and quiet,” said Stivers. “Unless there’s
a drama class rehearsing back there, it doesn’t get a lot
of traffic.”
Borders Books in Pleasanton is also recommended by Stivers
as good place for larger groups of people to study because they
can make as much noise as they need to.
All the activity and noise going on in the library could be
a sign that our learning is becoming a more interactive experience
with things like the Internet and multimedia programs.
“It’s not a library where you go around saying ‘Shh!’
anymore,” said Furuyama. “It doesn’t work.”