“It became clear that the library had recently lost the quiet atmosphere needed for comfortable studying,” says Nelleke Baas of Library & Information Services. Originally, the library had three noise zones: red for silence, orange for whispering, and green for quiet conversation. The green zone was abolished in 2022, after visitors indicated that they wanted a quieter environment.

The orange zone, too, had regularly led to discussions in recent years, and sometimes even to verbal and non-verbal aggression towards library staff when students were asked to lower their voices.

Nuisance and disruptive behavior

LIS launched the Library Study Spaces Nuisance Project. “Initially, we received no incident reports, which surprised us,” says Baas. “When we spoke to staff members and student assistants who had dealt with disruptive behavior, we learned that swearing was no longer even considered worth reporting.”

Baas and Elly van Vlerken, who is involved in the project as site manager for Campus & Facilities, consider this unacceptable. “We had our legal options investigated. ESA, security, and building management were also involved in the discussions.”

House rules

The house rules have now been made stricter. According to Baas, they are aligned with TU/e’s Code of Conduct and its core values. The aim is to provide a pleasant learning environment.

The most important rule is:silence in the library. “This was partly at the request of students themselves. It applies to the entire reading room, with the exception of the 18 study booths. There, you can close the door and have an online meeting with someone else, for example.”

Consequences

Anyone who repeatedly fails to comply with the new rule—“No talking anywhere in the library”—may be asked by a library employee to show their campus card. “We can and will then notify the director of operations of the relevant faculty about the disruptive behavior. This will be followed by a conversation between the student and the faculty director, with feedback provided to LIS. If the student refuses to show their campus card, we will involve security. The ultimate consequence is a one-month ban from accessing the library.”

Measures

Baas and Van Vlerken are aware of the acoustic challenges in MetaForum. “We have some simple ideas that could reduce the noise on the first floor using relatively straightforward measures. We would like to see hanging plants along the balcony railing, carpeting on the stairs, sound-absorbing partition walls, and signs clearly indicating that the library is a quiet environment. These requests are currently with Building Management at Campus & Facilities. We will have another meeting about this in October.”