Published on 12, July, 2020
I had the idea of joining the London Library as somewhere quiet which I could visit as and when wanted/needed. The travel to London would have been a bit of a pain but when I saw the annual membership fee for the London Library I decided to drop the idea of joining the library.
My local (council run) library is used more as a community hub and cannot be considered quiet. Activities held at the library include the teaching of PC skills to pensioners and a group for mums and dads with toddlers (in a library!). The library premises are too small for a separate reading room.
I have searched for a reading room, club or library in Kent to meet my needs but have found nothing of use. I found a reading room but that belongs to a religious group and is only open one day a week.
Any ideas or thoughts will be appreciated. Thank you.
I wonder if you live in the same town as I do, caretwo. Sounds like my local Kent library!
I live near the University of Kent, and was an undergrad there. I'm not sure how the library there is now, but when I was there - 30 years ago - the supposed 'silence' in the library was a constant source of irritation to me. I'm very sensitive to sound. I can tolerate the normal ambient sounds of traffic passing my window, etc. But in a library, I'm always distracted by whispering, 'quiet' giggling, and so on. I invariably ended up, as a student, simply taking out the books I needed and taking them to my room. It may simply be the proximity of other people that makes me hyper-aware of extraneous noise. Same on public transport, with music buzz filtering from headphones, or people yakking into their mobiles. And the cinema, with bags rustling, popcorn being chewed, whispering, etc.
They have many reading areas in UKC library, though - and if those types of sounds don't bother you, then it may be worth a visit. Failing that, all of the colleges on campus have reading areas. In those days, anyone could use them. There may be restrictions now, though. You could always check at the Porters Lodges.
Thank you Taltunes but Former Member confirms what I thought about libraries run by Kent County Council.
I have the misfortune to live in the area of the Medway Towns and Hoo Peninsula (not Medway as that is a river and not a place or collection of places).
We have a couple of campuses in the area but, unless I am mistaken, they are for student use only (which is fair enough).
I think University of Kent library is run by University of Kent instead of Kent County Council but I accept Martian Tom's comments that it may not be quiet enough for your needs.