One of the interesting findings that surfaced throughout our research, whether in our nationally representative phone survey, in-person focus groups, and our online panel of librarians, was that Americans want many things from their libraries<\/a>. About three-quarters said that they want quiet study spaces available, but a similar number said they want programs and classes for children and teens, for instance \u2014 a decidedly un<\/i>-quiet service!<\/p>\n\n If there\u2019s one thing our research shows, it\u2019s that there\u2019s no one thing people want their libraries to be. They want their libraries to be lots<\/i> of things, a place where they can study and meet with friends and attend meetings \u2014 and more. (And different patrons want different things \u2014 and patrons in different communities have different needs, as well.) But we do see some common themes, one of which is that quiet spaces are still an important part of what people expect from their libraries.<\/p>\n\n \n [and]<\/p>\n\n\n Perhaps this is why, in a separate question, Americans identified having separate spaces for different services as one of the top things libraries should do \u2014 only coordination with local schools and free literacy programs ranked higher. A majority (61%) of Americans say that libraries should \u201cdefinitely\u201d have completely separate locations or spaces for different services, such as children\u2019s services, computer labs, reading spaces, and meeting rooms, and another 27% say libraries should \u201cmaybe\u201d do this.<\/p>\n\n \n The value of having separate spaces for different activities (especially for noise reduction) was mentioned very often in our focus groups, both by patrons and library staff members.<\/p>\n\n In our report, we quoted librarians in our online panel who described the effect that separating traditionally quiet activities from typically louder ones has had. \u201cWhen possible I think that it works well to keep the computer, group meeting, and children\u2019s area noise away from the quieter reading areas,\u201d one wrote. Another said that moving the area for teens away from general adult areas \u201chas made a world of difference.\u201d In this case, quiet was not the only result: \u201cThe teens behavior has gotten so much better we no longer need a security guard at the library.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Many libraries already offer separate spaces for different services. The librarians in our online panel who said they were unlikely to offer this generally cited issues of space or funding; one pointed out that \u201cin small libraries, often operated by a single staff member, separate spaces cannot be for reasons of security or even customer service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n In a post responding to the Salon piece, the Teen Librarian Toolbox<\/a> blog offered a few thoughts about some of the issues libraries face when trying to keep the noise levels down:<\/p>\n\n \u201cSome libraries are better designed to meet the changing landscape of libraries today.\u00a0 They have smaller, independent study rooms.\u00a0 Their children and teen areas are a more reasonable distance from areas designated as quiet study areas.\u00a0 But older buildings don’t always retrofit well to the changing needs of our library populations.\u00a0 Perhaps nowhere do we see this more clearly than in teen services; how many of us have had to try and find a sensible place to put a new teen area in library that didn’t previously recognize the need for teen services?\u00a0 You have to consider things like noise levels, line of sight, location in reference to both the children and adult collections, funding we don’t have and more.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n Finally, another interesting aspect to this discussion is that while the members of our in-person patron focus groups also said that they valued quiet spaces at the library, they didn\u2019t necessarily want the general atmosphere in the rest of the library to be too<\/i> quiet. When asked to imagine their \u201cdream\u201d library, participants in our focus groups consistently described having a comfortable place where they could not only focus and get work done, but also feel like a part of their community; where \u201ceven if you\u2019re by yourself, you don\u2019t feel like you\u2019re by yourself,\u201d as one participant put it. Many described a sort of \u201ccoffeeshop\u201d ambience or \u201cliving room atmosphere,\u201d a \u201csafe and affordable hangout location\u201d where they could mingle with other people if they wanted to, but can do their own thing if not.<\/p>\n\n The New York Times recently hosted a \u201cRoom for Debate\u201d discussion<\/a> about the present and future of libraries. I was struck by something that Matthew Battles, the author of \u201cLibrary: An Unquiet History,\u201d wrote in his response<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n \u201cIn their long history, libraries have been models for the world and models of the world; they\u2019ve offered stimulation and contemplation, opportunities for togetherness as well as a kind of civic solitude. They\u2019ve acted as gathering points for lively minds and as sites of seclusion and solace. For making knowledge and sharing change, we still need such places\u2014and some of those, surely, we will continue to call \u2018the library.\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n ——–<\/i><\/p>\n\n![\"pew-internet-2013-01-22-lib-services-4-02\"](\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2013\/01\/pew-internet-2013-01-22-lib-services-4-02.jpg\")
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