I love the library, who doesn’t? It’s a wonderful place for people who share the same interests to come together and enjoy wonderful works of fiction, or educational books. My favorite book has got to be the Autobiography of Malcolm X; it’s not the library’s book, I own it. But the library was my go to place to read such a fantastic book. My family can be pretty loud so the library is my safe heaven. But recently, the library got tv sets. Now homeless men(I have nothing against the homeless) come into the library to watch baseball. I’m sorry, but am I wrong to assume that the library should be a place for reading? I mean, I understand people bringing their laptops to do homework, or anything job related, but a tv? That seems a bit much, doesn’t it? Has your library gotten a tv? And what do you think of it? My main worry is that my library adds more non reading things to it.
Edit: Hey, I just want to point that I’m not anti homeless. I only specified that the people who come to watch the tv are homeless because I like to be specific. I don’t understand how some people could think that making an attempt to wrongly accuse someone of being hateful adds to a discussion. In the end of the day, this is a harmless online discussion. If you try to attack me about being anti homeless than I won’t really pay it any mind. It’s just that those people could say something more interesting. Please add to the discussion. I’m not big on social media so likes and all that don’t matter to me. Just please say something interesting.
by legendarysmokescreen
38 Comments
Take it up with your library’s board.
Consider that a library is not just a place to read, but a place for exposure to information and culture. TV, the internet, and books all provide that. Hopefully there are still quiet areas, but libraries cannot afford to stagnate.
If folks have a little cubicle or private area, sure. Any other kind of visual media would be that way. But an audible TV set out in the open? Yeah, I dunno. I wouldn’t like it. I’d definitely complain.
Hi. I am in school for library and info science and work at a library. It can be difficult to see spaces we enjoyed a certain way change, but how we access information has changed so much in the last decade even that libraries have had to change too.
Libraries are still a place for books and reading space, but more and more they are becoming community hubs and places were people can access various different technologies they wouldn’t be able to otherwise.
Not the library I work at but one I used to frequent had a few TV and couch set ups with Xboxes for kids to play games with their friends they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford and I have run a Minecraft program for kids (they can get a bit rowdy). We also have some cool design machines that can get crazy loud when they are on.
I would recommend asking if there is a time when the TVs are turned off that would be better to go at for quiet reading, or if they have a quiet study space you can book.
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I have moved many times and most of the places where I lived each had several public libraries reasonably close to get to. I’ve never seen a TV in a library out in the open. I know my current public library shows movies once or twice weekly, but they have a separate room (same room used for classes and meetings).
A TV in the common area of the library would bother me because of the noise. As for the principle of having a TV, I think of a library as a place to access information, so that may play into the reason your library has one. You could just ask why tehy put it in.
To block out the noise, headphones would seem to be a good suggestion except for the problem of keeping them clean between patrons or the expense of personal use headphones (like they use on airplanes). Maybe suggest a quiet period during the day or a quiet day when TV is kept off. Or double check if they have any study rooms. Otherwise, you may have to look for a different library.
perhaps the solution is a sound proof a/v room and a separate area designated a quiet zone. libraries are multifunction bldgs but if there is study/reading/research quiet is needed.
I’m not against the idea but If they are going to have TVs, they should do so in a room/area away from where people could be studying. I feel horrible for people who go there for a quiet place and get blasted with *IT’S A HOME RUN.*
We have a room that we convert into a “Teen Afterschool Room” during the summer months that has TVs and Video Games for kids to play after school. Its kind of loud, but it’s also in a conference room away from the general area. So you really only hear anything if you’re close to the door or if someone leaves the door open. I feel like your library might benefit from that.
If they’re using headphones and/or it’s in a special tv room or whatever, then I’m totally cool with it.
When my favorite branch opened back up for in-person after covid, i was sitting reading a local history reference book. I noticed that the librarians were helping people with job applications, finding lawyers, websites on cooking, helping kids find books, etc etc. it was a really nice scene..maybe a little noisy. But I realized how important it is to have a free, non judgmental community space. We don’t have many of those anymore. The library is one of the few places that are a genuine help to everyone. Hopefully in the future they can have a separate room for the tv. But in principle we really need libraries with diverse media. Maybe if someone comes in to watch tv they will end up reading more too..just from exposure to the books and curiosity. One library used to have tvs with headphones and a library of DVDs we could watch on them. It was really awesome discovering foreign films. Our country is better for having public libraries as safe community spaces
My hometown library had a couple of rooms with TVs that were outside of the stacks/study cubicle area. They also didn’t really police noise levels in the children’s library as long as the doors to that area were shut (excited kids get loud). I think if it’s a community library you kind of have to roll with the punches in a way that you wouldn’t need to in an academic or specialty library.
Many comments here are expounding on how libraries should be accessible to everyone, and are more than just places to read.
I agree. However, I think a crucial service that libraries should provide to anyone who needs it is a quiet space. Because that’s something that so many people (incl children) are lacking in their home situation, and it can have a huge impact. Give people a place to study, do their homework, file their taxes, figure out the rules for starting a business, read, meditate, or just calm down for a bit so they can face their noisy frantic lives again. Nothing fancy, just a quiet room.
By all means, make a space in your library where people can come together for noisy activities that benefit them or the community. But I’d be sad if libraries didn’t always provide a quiet space too, and frankly that does seem more important to me, if it has to be one or the other.
I think libraries have long been about more than just books. My local library when I was growing up had music you could listen to, paintings you could check out. Several years back another library I went to had cake pans people could check out. My current library has machines for quiting and puppets in the children’s area. I think what should be in a library should be dependent on the desires and needs of the community the library is serving.
If the tvs are loud and distracting perhaps you can approach the library about headphones or a seperate room.
We have a decent amount of homeless people chilling at my library too because we live in a very cold city and it’s a place they can hang out all day, stay warm and have free internet use. I get it. If I was homeless I’d probably chill there too. It’s one of the few places you can exist without spending money. But everyone has to follow the same rules so everyone can get their work/reading done in peace. Tv should definitely be kept in a separate area or conference room and I think you would be within your rights to suggest that to your librarian. I have been to libraries that have TVs before but they are always in conference rooms, away from quiet areas.
Wonder what Ben Franklin would say. He envisioned libraries, if I’m not mistaken, as places for ordinary people to have access to what had been the privilege of the rich, i.e. books. When I didn’t have internet access, I used the library’s, and it was a great benefit for me. I guess I don’t object to people watching t.v. if the sound doesn’t fill the whole library.
In my high school, they had some DJ equipment in the library that anyone can use whenever they wanted. It was… frustrating.
Can they add headphones for tv use?
My military library has gaming center (TVs, PS, Xbox, Switch) and headphones for patrons to use. It is relatively quiet when in use and it is the most popular amenity. Most circulation is the video games. The patrons are happy that we have a gaming center and new video games for check out for free.
I’m currently getting my MLS, and hope to be a librarian shortly after finishing it. One thing I can say is that libraries have largely shifted from being just places of reading to institutions that provide general services to everyone. That includes media for entertainment and not just education. That said, I don’t disapprove of TVs in libraries with one big caveat. If a library has tvs, they should be placed in an isolated room or area that does not impact the other users/patrons at the library. If a library is too small to accommodate that, then they should not have tvs or look into funding to add a space or venue for that purpose.
I completely understand your frustration, because I also have difficulty fully immersing myself in reading with a lot of extra stimuli and noise around me. I would highly suggest bringing it up if they have an anonymous complaint system in place. In the meantime, it might be worth looking into noise cancelling headphones or earplugs. It is unfortunate though, because you shouldn’t even have to worry about using extra means to enjoy some peace and quiet in the library.
Personally I’m of the opinion that people can do anything at the library so long as there’s room and it can be done QUIETLY. For TVs if there are no headphones and I don’t know, the viewers keep cheering the game like at a bar then that’s unacceptable. Ideally you could have TV rooms where people are allowed to make noise.
My library has two rows of tvs where people can watch films and TV shows, but they have sound disabled unless you wear headphones. I strongly think it’s a great thing for libraries to have these services, but I would also hate it if the tvs were on speaker mode rather than remaining quiet thanks to the headphones.
I have never seen a library with a TV. My local library has always had community groups in (parents and toddlers, knitting bees, computer classes etc) but the adult groups keep the noise barely above a whisper, and the children’s groups are held in the children’s room so that other people aren’t disturbed. I’m not against them having TVs but they should be in a separate room. It’s not really a library if it’s not a primarily quiet space.
I think TVs are fine but only if you need headphones to listen. People use libraries for research and the reality is that video often comes under that umbrella along with newspaper cuttings, audio recordings and books. I don’t have a problem with it but it shouldn’t infringe on other peoples need to concentrate and have quiet.
America wont address its homeless problem (except to try to criminalize helping them, make it impossible for them to sleep with hostile architecture, and give them a bus fare to go somewhere else and be someone elses problem) so they go to one of the few remaining public institutions with shelter.
Our library has designated areas so the bottom floor is basically do what you want as long as you’re not screaming or causing major noise (so watching your phone or talking etc is allowed) but upstairs is quiet/study/reading area.
My library has an area with books, an event room, a media room, a sound studio, a makers space with 3d printers and computers, a room with video games and iPads. I don’t have a problem with TVs, even TVs in the stacks of books, but there needs to be a quiet study space or room for people to read away from the PlayStation and basketball games.
Libraries are and have always been a resource of information, and today information comes in different mediums. I do believe that the library should be sectioned off so those who would like a quiet place can have a quiet place. The problem is some libraries do not have the physical space, so people doing different things end up in the same area. On of the posts on here from a library director hit the nail on the head, libraries have to keep with the times and also try to stay open.
I have loved going to libraries since i was a kid, back in the 1960’s for much of the same reasons as you. There have always been what appeared to be homeless people in libraries reading books or even just sleeping in a cubicle. Cant remember any of them ever being asked to leave in any of the public libraries i have been to.
Will libraries continue to exist in the internet age ? They have taken a huge drop in traffic but they still are much nicer places to access free internet than your average wifi cafe. Plus real live librarians are still better than Google. The internet is a million miles wide but only a fraction of an inch thick. So much crap and advertising to wade through where a good librarian can point you to a book that goes into a topic with depth you could not possibly find on your average website.
Then there is the stuff that libraries store like the local history of where you live. A lot of this will be deemed too time consuming to put up on the internet. But can be fascinating history nonetheless.
I hope libraries will survive even if they have to be smaller. They are still bastions of how to find information even if the information looks way different than a nice old book.
My sister used to work at a public library and homeless people frequented it even though there were no TVs. It’s a comfortable place that’s open to the public where they don’t have to buy anything to be there and they can use the restroom. I agree that the purpose of libraries should be books, but I don’t think the addition of TVs has changed the clientele much. As long as the homeless folks aren’t causing any trouble I don’t see why they shouldn’t be there.
So the TV is playing aloud?
My college library had a group of I think five TVs in the basement hooked up to different media players. I took a German class and was required to go watch three films and the only way I had access was renting and watching vhs through the library. That being said while the TVs were each in their own viewing room, you also had to bring your own headphones so others weren’t disturbed. Two sets of headphones could be plugged in. One room was a mini theater with a projector. I appreciated the accessibility but I also appreciated that thought was put into not disturbing others there to study or read or research.
Ours have TVs, but they have headphones on them.
This is the same thing people said when public computers were added. My library has TVs, has had them for awhile. Lots of people use them, primarily senior citizens who live in the nearby retirement home and only have shared sets, and aren’t fans of that. They watch dvds, news, and sports. There are also teenagers, and unhoused people, same situation- no private tv. They are all in the top floor, in cubbies (basically), and volume limited, and there is one in a bigger room with a door and couches if you wanted to have a viewing party. Pretty popular. My library also rents out power tools (like hedge trimmers, electric drills), pots and pans (making a cheesecake but don’t want to buy a pan bc you aren’t sure you’ll make another? Library has your back), and a bunch of other random things. I think of the library as more of a community center than a book sanctuary though. It’s a safe haven.
My old public library had secluded rooms that were noise proof for kids to play video games and for people to watch tv etc. I think that’s a really good way to do it. We had cameras up so nothing got vandalized and you had to check in at the desk every half hour. Libraries aren’t just about books. They’re about accessibility. They give options to people whom otherwise don’t have them.
In my local library the worst distractions to reading, are the people who let their kids run around screaming lol.
My library now deals with drug overdoses in the bathrooms every day. The librarians are not trained medical personnel. They are thinking of closing the library because no one wants to deal with this mess.
Yes you’re wrong that a library should be just a place for reading; it hasn’t been that for many many years.
When I was a kid, I would go to the local library every day after school and I would be there for hours until my mom got out of work. They had set up a really nice young adult section with bean bag chairs, coloring pages, and cool displays for new books! But, there was a big movie-theatre-like space in the basement where the librarians let a few of us watch movies or manga because upstairs was always a headphones only area or no sound at all above a quick conversation. I feel like this was a really good way to do it because it kept the sanctity of a library but also allowed for movies or tv to be shown when there was events or when little hoodlums like me and my friends wanted to watch Totoro.