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Silence v. Chatter
October 14, 2008 03:48 PM | PoliciesAurora Jacobsen, Information Services Librarian
Andy Burnham, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport of the UK has touched off a national conversation about the role of libraries in serving their public. I'm fascinated by the discussion that's occurring, as I often feel conflicted about the role of libraries myself. I saw this reflected in the public I served as a public librarian, too. Many of our patrons really wanted to still be able to find a quiet spot to escape the noise or activity of a busy home life, especially when they were using library resources for research or homework. (Yes, we had plenty of people that still used the library for research.) At the same time, I know many of our preschool mothers were so appreciative of the fact that they mostly got understanding smiles when their children acted like, well, young children and cried or tried to play hide and seek in the stacks. Serving both types of patrons is ideal but not always practical.
The first article describes Burnham's plan. The second article is in defense of the library as a quiet place.
