Libraries have a stereotype for being a quiet place with mean librarians lurking around every corner waiting to scold rowdy visitors or filled with shushes from students that are trying to concentrate. Many find the silence that libraries are expected to have uncomfortable or even intimidating. The environment of the library, whether it’s related to stressful work or silence either attracts or repels its visitors. Not many think about silence in their daily lives, so raising awareness of not only how it impacts different settings, like a library, but people’s emotions along with what factors cause them is important in order to better understand different environments and deeply rooted feelings towards the lack of noise.
The stereotype of the taunting quietness of a library holds true pertaining to The Davidson College library’s basement. Different from the first and second floors of the library on campus, the basement has little to no distractions, allowing students to work unbothered by noise. When discussing what defines a soundscape, Schafer states that “A soundscape consists of events heard not objects seen” (Schafer 99). This relates to the basement of the library when every diligent student has their head in a book but can still hear what is going on around them, even if it is very quiet. In the recording of the underground study space, you can hear the croaking of a chair, people typing on their computers, and pages flipping from a book, all sounds that are apparent to anyone close by. This makes the basement of the library and other almost completely silent soundscapes one of a kind because in any other place, one would probably not be able to hear those obscure sounds that are not usually thought about or even noticed. The uniqueness silence brings to an environment either forms a selling point or an anxiety factor for the students of Davidson College as well as the general public.
The lack of comfort some associate with the basement of the library is more common than one would imagine on the campus of Davidson College. I wanted to discover exactly how certain people viewed this study area, so I interviewed some students around campus. When asked the simple question of do you like studying in the library basement, Gabby responded “The basement of the library gives me bad vibes. I feel awkward when I try to study down there and am so uneasy I don’t end up even getting any work done.” I also asked the same question to Lucas; he answered “I straight up don’t like the basement of the library. I get creeped out by how quiet it is and just feel very stressed when I am there. I never do work down there because its just weird.” Others said pretty similar things, all thinking that the ensured silence of the basement was unpleasant rather than a helpful studying tool. Scholars have agreed with Gabby and Lucas writing about why many do not enjoy being in silence and why. One of the major reasons why people do not like being somewhere that is completely silent is because they are not used to it. There is constantly so much background noice in people’s lives; for example, television or simply just other people talking. The world that we live in is very noisy almost all of the time, so just the lack of experience can influence people to assume they dislike silence. When the background noice of people lives finally does go silent, they feel forced to focus on their own thoughts and ponder them, when many would rather just stay distracted, being able to avoid the triggering of emotional or unpleasant thoughts. Dr. Forshee states that “In terms of silence, it’s not the quiet that makes you feel on-edge; it’s the fact that there’s nothing to distract you from your own thoughts — thoughts you might not want to recognize just yet” (Guerra). Having to face these thoughts and realizations that become present when there is no other noise used as distraction is a terrifying experience for most. Feeling uncomfortable or even scared in these quiet environments is a very common concept across the world’s population, and may explain why it is a popular feeling on Davidson’s campus.
However, not everyone is opposed to silence in their lives, many people even use it to their advantage. Daniel A. Gross describes “Silence [as] a resource” (Gross). Silence is a break from a hustle and bustle of the fast pace of life and allows one to be completed dialed in to something instead of being distracted. Silence could also assist in focusing, sleeping, relaxing, or even reflecting on your own thoughts when there is nothing else to distract you. Gross also discusses how much people spend to obtain this private product of silence if it not available to them; for example, noise cancelling headphones, sound proof walls, and even silent meditation sessions. This supports his claim of silence being a true benefit if people are willing to spend large amounts of money just to obtain it. The fact that silence can be considered a product helps us better understand it to be a resource that not all people have access to. Pertaining to Davidson, students who retreat to the basement of the library when in a crunch appreciate a space with no noise to distract them. The silence fosters an atmosphere of pressure, but many students believe they do their best work under this degree of intensity. This seriousness intertwined with the lack of noise surrounds the basement of the library. This shows the aura surrounding it as a place of tension filled by students who have copious amounts of work to complete. They use this silence as an advantage in order to finish their assignments, making this one of the only places on campus with this particular atmosphere, as well as the reputation surrounding it. These students need an area that they trust will remain quiet no matter what time of the day. Both writers and students share the opinion that silence is very beneficial, even to the extent that some will do a lot just to obtain it.
If the campus of Davidson became fully aware of the library’s soundscape and the feelings that a lot of students have related to the silence of the basement, these aspects could play a major role in the soon reshaping of the library. Many people do not really ponder the thought of silence and the roles it plays in different settings, they usually just decide if they enjoy it or not and continue on with their lives. This focus on silence and noise dynamic pertaining to all floors of the library must be considered in order to reorganize the library in the most efficient and effective way possible. Understanding how the realities of being a student could be reflected architecturally in the library setting is very important for catering the needs of each student. Having different noice level areas, especially a silent one, gives students different options for a setting in which they would be most effective in.
Works Cited
Delp, Gabby. Personal Interview. 1 April 2019.
Gross, Daniel A. “This Is Your Brain on Silence – Nautilus.” Pocket, 24 Aug. 2014, getpocket.com/explore/item/this-is-your-brain-on-silence.
Guerra, Julia. “This Is Why Silence Makes You Feel So Uncomfortable, According To An Expert.” Elite Daily, Elite Daily, 17 Dec. 2018, www.elitedaily.com/p/why-silence-is-so-uncomfortable-heres-how-to-get-more-comfortable-with-quiet-moments-8762651.
Hauth, Lucas. Personal Interview. 1 April 2019.
Kay, Malia. Personal Interview. 1 April 2019.
Schafer, R. Murray. “The Soundscape .” The Sound Studies Reader, edited by Jonathan Sterne, Routledge, 2012, pp. 95–103.
