This library is noisy
1.
There are people here
Doing all kinds of things,
Working at computers
Playing games on computers,
Small groups talking, maybe studying.
People looking at books,
Asking librarians questions,
Kids building with legos
Playing with puppets,
Crawling on the floor with oversize blocks
Parents watching,
Parents joining in.
Librarians talking,
Checking their email, sneaking a peak at their cellphone,
Gabbing, reading, planning,
Answering questions about how to log into the computers, the internet, printing,
Where a book is,
how to look for a book in the catalog
If a study room is available,
Where a program is being held,
Where the bathroom is,
Why there’s only a broken escaltor and no stairs,
And they don’t like the glass elevator.
2.
The library is noisy,
A busy kind of noisy.
Full of sound created by people
From all over the city,
All over the world,
And they are all here
Where it is warm, safe, and open to anyone
Who wants to see what is inside the building.
No membership card is required,
No passport or visa or ID.
Just the need or willingness to cross the threshold.
3.
So much noise
So much going on.
Reading, writing, learning, playing, singing, dancing, building, creating.
4.
Noisy is a negative word.
In a library it is positive.
Clamor and discordance welcome change and learning..
Quiet, silent, soundless, and still encourage stagnation.
Libraries are about transformation
Encouraging exploration.
Come to the library
Create a racket and grow.
