Research Room reconfigured into "quiet space"

In my April 2008 blog I described how pleased I was about our students’ suggestions concerning the importance of carving out some quiet space in the Library, which like most academic libraries has become an active but somewhat noisy learning place. Actually back in October 2007 an individual student had emailed the Library with an especially compelling argument for more quiet in the Library, so we had already started some planning for setting aside and configuring some better quiet space, but the significant number of student suggestions received in response to the Library’s Biennial Student Survey, Spring 2008 (and from a quick follow up survey) reinforced the need for us to establish a clearly designated quiet room and prompted us to action this summer in reconfiguring Room 133, the glass enclosed O’Keefe Research Room, as a “Quiet Room.”


Room 133 had formerly been referred to by many simply as the “microfilm room” because as one looked into the room much of the floor space was taken up by 8 separate microfilm reader/printer machines and 16 very large cabinets containing microfilm reels holding our historical back file of journal issues. In addition, the perimeter of the room was filled with 16 computer workstations, so the room could easily become a crowded, and even noisy, place as well.

With the increased availability of journal back files on the online electronic databases to which the Library subscribes, and the preference of students to access the issues online rather than on microfilm, we found no need to continue to take up unnecessary floor space, so we reviewed our holdings and reader/printer use, and we were able to cut down to only 2 reader/printers and 3 cabinets in the room. We also removed and relocated 7 computer workstations to an alternate space elsewhere on the first floor of the Library in order to leave carrel and table space for those wishing to work without the distraction of a desktop computer, or with tabletop space on which to use their own laptops. 9 computer workstations were left in the room.

So Library Room 133, the O’Keefe Research Room, is now designated as a “Quiet Room” with signage and posted rules targeted at providing a good space for individuals to engage in quiet work and study. The mixture of furnishings—a reduced number of computers and microfilm equipment, uncluttered study carrels and tables, and even a few individual chair arrangements—should make the area more conducive to this quiet work and study. Quiet will be monitored by the Library staff, and the staff will respond to any infractions.

We have been pleased to be able to respond to the suggestions of the students, and we look forward to this newly configured space complementing the noisier, but very active, other learning spaces throughout the Proctor Library.