The Sounds of Silence? Not At The Library

Cell-phone calls on speakerphone. Skateboarding down the steps. Drum circles. Possibly, just possibly, these activities don’t belong at the library — even if libraries’ missions have evolved. “Libraries are more vibrant these days, and busier … and I applaud this. But just because libraries serve a broader function than they once did shouldn’t mean that people lose all respect for what they began as: a place where silence is, if not always pristine, actively sought.”