“Quiet at the library has been an issue for as long as I can remember,” said School Archivist and Instructor in Art Ruth Quattlebaum, who has been a faculty member since the 1980’s. Changes at Phillips Academy have affected the kind of study environment at the library, but according to Mrs. Quattlebaum, the rules of quiet have been phasing in and out of strict enforcement for decades. During the 1950’s and 60’s, all history reading was on reserve in the library. The lengthy readings restricted to the library necessitated a quiet atmosphere, which was maintained voluntarily by students who wanted to complete their history assignments. However, there were times before 1950 when Garver was quiet rather than silent. Architects hired to renovate the library in the 1980’s observed that many students used the OWHL to socialize, according to Mrs. Quattlebaum. Maintaining a studious library atmosphere has been an issue for decades, and for now it remains a controversial topic.
