Lately the boys are having a hard time getting into "homework" mode when they get home from school. There's lots of snacking and chatting. Both boys have desks in their rooms where they can study quietly but then they seem to procrastinate by being distracted by other things in their rooms. I've been looking for a solution and I thought I found one... but no.
Yesterday before the Little Man's physical therapy, we stopped at one of our local libraries so they could get a start on their homework. We are lucky to live close to two libraries but they are located in two different counties. Yesterday we went to the children's section of the library. No one was there and it was VERY quiet. This children's section is separated from the adult section by a hallway and the "Check In/Out" desk. If there had been other's in the children's section we would have moved to the adult section where it is typically more quiet. This children's section has a wooden train track and trains for little ones to play with and sometimes it can get a bit noisy. It's a very nice library and having the children's section separate from the adult section helps reduce noise when someone is working or trying to read. The boys got all their homework done yesterday quickly because there weren't any distractions.
Today however, we went to the library that is closer to our house. This library does not have a segregated children's section, but from what I saw today, they don't need it. It's the teen/adults that are the problem. I expect Jr. High and High School students to be noisy and loud. But the librarian talking loudly on her cell phone was icing on the cake. No one "SHHHH"'d anybody and why would they? The librarian was louder than all of them. (Here's where I date myself and sound old) When I was in school if you talked above a whisper you were asked to quiet down by the librarian. If she had to address your behavior several times, you were asked to leave. But it usually never came to that because most of the children in my town respected the rules of the library. I don't ever remember adults talking loudly. They were the ones that gave us kids sideways glances as we came in. This served as a warning to be on our best behavior. The library was a place where you could study or read. What I witnessed today was a play date area for teens and adults. No one was reading. No one was studying (except for my boys and 2 teens that looked to be in a tutoring session). The librarians were busy chatting it up with people they knew or on cell phones. Times have changed.
I love our library system. But the one by our house is more of a meeting place vs. an actual, functioning library. In fact, last week in the local paper they wrote just that. The library funding is up for renewal this election day and they need more money because as it said in the paper the library today is more of a "community center" than the learning center that it used to be. The article was favorable to today's libraries and I thought that the "community center" scenario was a good one. That is until I witnessed it today.
Maybe I'm just a dinosaur. Maybe I'm just one of those old fuddy duddies that rails against change. But having a place to read quietly, study without distraction, or to be able to look up information without loud noises seemed like a good idea.
I guess I'll be rearranging the boys rooms to make things less of a distraction. Doesn't look like the library is a place where they can study. Maybe they can have a play group there next week instead.
7 comments:
That's too bad. It's hard to find any place truly quiet these days.
I took my 3 year old to library this afternoon. Today was a good day... It's always a little nerve wracking to me because it is hard to keep her quiet.
I agree with you, though. It's good to have a quiet library. It seems like they need a separate room for the community room/space.
Good luck working on the homework routine. That's tough around here, too.
I don't know when's the last time I was in a library but like you, I remember it being quiet and the librarian shushing anyone who spoke above a whisper. Like everything else, things have changed so much and not all for the better. I really think it's terrible that the teens are using the library as a meeting place and that they're even allowed to use it as such. Our former librarians must be turning in their graves right now! lol xoxo
That's a shame about your local library. I guess every library must have its own "personality". We are lucky that ours is big enough to have an active and sometimes noisy children's section (though the librarians are good at keeping things down) and a large, quiet upstairs area where many people choose to work on their laptops, study or do homework.
I have to say that it really surprises me that the librarians thought so little of their library to be the loudest ones. Most people with a degree in library science have a high amount of respect for the "sanctity" of the library. Perhaps these were not qualified librarians...maybe that's what the town should use their new funding for.
Our library is pretty good. You will get shhhh'd if you peep a little too much. However, they do have to be staffed by a police officer from after school lets out until close. Why? If they didn't, the kids (older, mostly) would probably run amuck. The police officer doesn't take any crap and keeps everyone in line.
Perhaps that is what noisy-noisy library needs. I know, it's funding, though.
If others are witnessing the same as you did, good luck getting that levy to pass.
Agreed Gael. The person on the cell phone was probably just a desk clerk and not the Librarian. I have a friend that's a Librarian and they take their job seriously and most would not be that loud or rude.
Yup, a dinosaur. It's been years since I heard anyone shushed.
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