As a location devoted to study, libraries should ideally offer an environment of absolute quiet. Yet, as brought to the attention of the WASC committee at a recent meeting, the Aragon library is often polluted by distracting noise from students who use it as a place for to socialize. Librarians suggested turning the Student Lunch Room into a student lounge in order to resolve the noise issue. The Aragon Outlook agrees with their proposal.
The appeals of this proposal are numerous. The alteration would provide the obvious benefit of maintaining silence in the library while enabling casual study in another location. In the new lounge, students could have the freedom to interact without disturbing those who are attempting to study.
In fact, a student lounge could potentially attract more students to study by making them feel as though they actually have access to a library without obnoxious noises and frequent distractions.
The Aragon Outlook also acknowledges that the transformation may include obstacles. Before, after, and throughout the school day, the Student Lunch Room is occasionally used by clubs and classes for various purposes. However, this issue may exist only temporarily since many of the meetings and presentations could take place inside of the theatre after construction is completed in the spring.
Although used by clubs and individual classes, the doors to the Student Lunch Room are usually locked, defeating the room’s purpose as an indoor space for students to spend their lunchtime. Converting the space into a lounge would make better use of the often empty room by increasing its appeal and accessibility to students. The conversion into a comfortable lounge would also turn the current Student Lunch Room into an area where students could relax and unwind during a stressful day.
Furthermore, the lounge could serve as a location to eat lunch on rainy days, an alternative to eating in the hallways. Although many students already eat lunch in preferred areas around campus, they would have the option.
Since the potential lounge and the library would reside on opposite sides of the school, students would be obliged to make a decision between lounging and studying. Because of the conscious decision students would have to make, the librarians would be justified in enforcing a non-disruptive study environment.
At the same time, since the current Student Lunch Room is relatively small, the capacity of the potential lounge may cause some students to return to the library when faced with a lack of space, defeating the main purpose of the renovation. However, with a few slight alterations, the new lounge could be modified to fit a large number of people.
The Aragon Outlook also recognizes that the issue of the noise level in the library could be solved by simply reprimanding or kicking out students who are the source of the unwanted noise. But while the librarians currently hold this power, they do not utilize it to a full extent to make the sound level of the library conducive to studying. Perhaps it is difficult to prove that students are socializing rather than studying or even to reprimand all noisy students. Nevertheless, unless the discipline in the library increases, focused work cannot be accomplished with the current level of noise pollution in the library.
Despite these few potential complications, the Student Lunch Room should be transformed into a student lounge. Luckily, the time for this transformation is at its most opportune. With winter break just around the corner, funds can be raised and furniture acquired during the students’ break from school to galvanize the implementation of our student lounge. And this way, students can be greeted upon their return to school with a new lounge.
