What's new at Smyth-Bland Regional Library Should We Hush the Shush?By Amber CombsAt the end of January, Salon.com published an article that hits close to home for librarians everywhere: "Bring Back Shushing Librarians." In the article, Laura Miller cites a recent survey by the Pew Research Center that found the top two services regarded as most important in a library are "librarians to help people find information" and "borrowing books." Following hot on these two services' heels were "free access to computers and the Internet." It is the fourth top result which Miller chooses to focus on, however: "quiet study spaces for adults and children." The rest of the article dissolves into a bit of a tirade against the idea of noisy activity in libraries, but does Miller have a legitimate point?Opinions differing from Miller's abound. The Pew survey took quotes from a pool of library staffers, one of which said, "We need to change the concept of the library as a restricted, quiet space - we bustle, we rock, we engage, but so many people in the community do not know this." But is it important that we so drastically change the image of what libraries once were? Another staffer seemed to think so, stating that "libraries should be the social hub of the community, and to do that the customers have to be able to use [cell phones] in the library, congregate around computers, sit and visit, laugh out loud and be noisy." Putting aside personal feelings on the subject, I have to admit that these staffers, too, have a point. Statistics taken from the American Library Association website show an increase in the patronage of libraries over the last few years, an increase which seems to stem from the integration of computer and internet use in libraries. The ALA President from 2010-2011, Molly Raphael, says that libraries are currently "serving as [lifelines] for people trying to adapt to challenging economic circumstances, providing technology training and online resources for employment, access to government resources, continuing education, retooling for new careers, and starting a small business." Therefore, it appears that incorporating these "noisier" elements is having a positive effect on libraries, which unfortunately have lately been viewed as obsolete, dusty tombs for archaic tomes (Harvard went so far as to have an actual debate on the current relevance of libraries).Still, couldn't libraries do both if they needed to do so? One of the quoted library staffers insisted it could be done, as long as the primary portion of the library was set aside for the more social patrons. Those people desiring peace and quiet could be put in designated "quiet spaces." Miller disagrees; in her opinion, patrons desperate for a silent place to work would end up in long lines waiting for a chance to sit at "drab little cubicles." But, Miller states, at least they can take comfort in being able to "laugh out loud and be noisy while they're taking numbers and standing in line."Laura Miller might come off as being overly bitter and unyielding, but her article raises a question that needs to be addressed: should libraries remain hushed havens, or do they need to "get with the times" and make room for additions such as coffee shops that patrons can buy food and drinks from? I have no personal experience at these "hip" libraries, but I know do know that anyone who has ever been at this library on a day when Youth Services holds one of their fun gatherings for local teens knows we aren't always the quiet type. However, neither are we the "social hub" the library staffer above seems to think a library should be. Cell phone use is not permitted anywhere in the building. Our computer area usually resounds with the clicking of keyboards instead of loud laughter, and we will not hesitate to shush anyone breaking the rules. However, that's not to say we don't know how to compromise. We can provide study areas for groups of students needing to work together. The children's section of the library is a happy and relaxed place for children and youth to hang out, and our staff members enjoy a good joke as much as the next person. Come in, hang out, and read to your heart's content; just remember to leave the cell phones outside the building!
