A Happy Medium: Academic Library Noise from the Perspective of Students and Librarians

Abstract

Balancing the needs of those students who prefer quiet study spaces with the needs of students who prefer to talk openly and collaborate with their peers is a challenge faced by many academic libraries. This review surveys articles published from 1981 to 2019 on the topic of noise in academic libraries and the views of librarians on how to address this issue as well as how students perceive noise. Keywords describing this topic were searched in scholarly databases, and the articles selected for this review were chosen by examining their relevance to this topic. The articles selected for the review described various means of addressing noise issues, including the use of noise meters, lighting levels, and seating arrangements. The authors present this review to assist academic librarians in dealing with patrons who prefer different volume levels.