Quiet in the Library: An Evidence-Based Approach to Improving the Student Experience

This article deals with the management of noise in an academic library by outlining an-based approach taken over seven years by the University of Limerick in the Republic of. The objective of this study was to measure the impact on library users of noise management implemented from 2007 to 2014 through retrospective analysis of LibQUAL+® data. The data indicate that readers’ perceptions of the provision of quiet space in the greatly improved in that period. The study provides evidence showing the effectiveness of, such as the development of a noise policy, zoning, rearranging of furniture, removal service points from reader spaces, and structural improvements. There is evidence to indicate the creation of a separate graduate reading room may be an effective noise management not previously identified in the literature. Academic libraries struggling with noise and those with low scores on the LibQUAL+® quiet space question may find some interventions that have an underlying evidence base to indicate their effectiveness when with noise and the provision of quiet space.