NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1116666
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Oct
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1531-2542
EISSN: N/A
Quiet in the Library: An Evidence-Based Approach to Improving the Student Experience
McCaffrey, Ciara; Breen, Michelle
portal: Libraries and the Academy, v16 n4 p775-791 Oct 2016
This article deals with the management of noise in an academic library by outlining an evidence-based approach taken over seven years by the University of Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. The objective of this study was to measure the impact on library users of noise management interventions implemented from 2007 to 2014 through retrospective analysis of LibQUAL+® survey data. The data indicate that readers' perceptions of the provision of quiet space in the library greatly improved in that period. The study provides evidence showing the effectiveness of interventions, such as the development of a noise policy, zoning, rearranging of furniture, removal of service points from reader spaces, and structural improvements. There is evidence to indicate that the creation of a separate graduate reading room may be an effective noise management intervention not previously identified in the literature. Academic libraries struggling with noise problems and those with low scores on the LibQUAL+® quiet space question may find some helpful interventions that have an underlying evidence base to indicate their effectiveness when dealing with noise and the provision of quiet space.
Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/subscribe.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ireland; United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A