A Quiet Room in Kent

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.

Parents
  • Well, caretwo, I guess (if you think about it) a library is not only a place of study but where people socialise, so in that sense it seems to me it would tend to be challenging to people on the AS. Even being in the presence of others can be a bit disconcerting to people on the AS so it is not that surprising you would find being in a library challenging. Of the few times I have visited my local library there have been occasions when a rowdy group of youngsters have been 'over boisterous', let's say, which can be pretty annoying to others who just want some peace in order to study. Not really their fault, I know - I was young once - but it does show that in any public place you are going to get a mix of people and you can never really know what to expect.

Reply
  • Well, caretwo, I guess (if you think about it) a library is not only a place of study but where people socialise, so in that sense it seems to me it would tend to be challenging to people on the AS. Even being in the presence of others can be a bit disconcerting to people on the AS so it is not that surprising you would find being in a library challenging. Of the few times I have visited my local library there have been occasions when a rowdy group of youngsters have been 'over boisterous', let's say, which can be pretty annoying to others who just want some peace in order to study. Not really their fault, I know - I was young once - but it does show that in any public place you are going to get a mix of people and you can never really know what to expect.

Children
  • I disagree that a library should be considered somewhere that people socialise: there are enough such places without invading libraries.

    When I was a child I was taught to be quiet in a library (even the village library which did not have room for studying). Indeed, if the librarians considered someone was making too much noise they were asked to be quiet or leave. And that is how I believe it should have been and how it should be now.

    The London Library's rules contain a section entitled 'Consideration for others' and includes these rules:

    Members should show due consideration for others when making use of the Library’s facilities, observing the need for quiet in all areas adjacent to reader desks and treating fellow members, visitors and staff with courtesy at all times, including staff discharging their duty to enforce the Library’s Rules. If the use of personal equipment of any kind disturbs other users, members may be asked to stop using it or to move to another location.

    Laptops and mobile devices may be used in silent mode for the processing or transmission of text or data except in the main Reading Room, where tablet and e-reader devices may be used for silent reading only and the use of all other electronic communication devices including personal audio equipment is prohibited. Even where the use of such equipment is permitted, sound reproduction must be limited to personal headphones and not broadcast by speaker.

    I obviously expect too much by expecting such rules to be in force in all libraries.

    It seems at least some neurotypicals will not be satisfied until they have turned all places of quiet into places of noise.