When Andover students need a refuge from the nagging calls of parents and the dorm-duty responsibilities of their respective halls, they head to the library, a sanctuary in the center of campus, which was, until recently, a place deceptively free from the rules and codifications that dictate our lives. The new policy at the Oliver Wendell Holmes library is based on respect, a loaded term that librarians and students alike should reexamine. The policy, which was formed with good intentions, is flawed because – like an irrational parent – its overly harsh punishment is given little explanation and may do as much harm as good. The policy, in brief, states the following: “After receiving a single warning, any student being disruptive or making excess noise in the library, even if discussing academic work, will be asked to leave the OWHL and not return. Everyone working at their table will also be banned from the library for the duration of that evening.” The rationale for this policy can be summed up as “it’s for your own good.” The new rules are in place “to protect students who really need a quiet place to study,” explained Elizabeth Tompkins, a librarian at the OWHL. Fair enough. The library should be a quiet place to get academic work done, and perhaps students need to form new, better habits of behavior there. However, the policy backfires when quiet students are punished for others’ irresponsible actions. Specifically, when a diligently working student is told to leave the library because he or she was sitting next to a disruptive student, the policy accomplishes very little. Although the unnamed quiet student might have been bothered by the noise, at least he or she had a place to study. Additionally, there are a great many places on campus where students can study silently. The library does not need to be wrapped up in yellow caution tape and protected from the loud-mouthed classes of 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008. Within the library alone, the basement, the stacks and often the rooms upstairs are all nearly silent. Common rooms are also good study places, and the Gelb Science Center is also always quiet, bright and empty. For their part, librarians should not abuse their newfound powers, and they should try to see the students’ perspective. For the most part, they do. “I empathize with the students,” said Richard Kiberd, a proctor and librarian. “You are in classes all day and the only place to go at night is the library. The Ryley room isn’t sufficient. There’s no place for young people to go and kick back, listen to music and do what young people like to do. When I was young, I liked to do that too.” “It’s like walking a tightrope,” he went on. “We want to respect your rights and privileges, but we also have a job to do… and 99.9% of students are respectful.” When speaking to a single librarian, discussing the policy and the need for respect, it is easy to understand the need for tough rules that students will abide by. But lately the library has felt more like a war zone than a discussion about diplomacy – with librarians scolding and confronting rebellious students instead of explaining the need for an adjustment to their conduct. This situation must change and soon, at least before midterms. Unfortunately, when faced with the policy in action, many students feel that it is condescending in the worst way. Since the start of Fall Term, the OWHL has gone on the offensive, posting signs that list other things to do in conference period, besides loitering in their hallowed rooms. The most legitimate suggestion is to see teachers (after all, it is CONFERENCE period, the sign reminds us). Others, such as “do a mini workout” and “meditate in the chapel” are begging to be mocked. Teenagers can follow directions better than toddlers, especially at Andover. More often, Phillips Academy students are found to be strutting around like the twenty-something Wall Street CEOs and thirty-something politicians they will become. There is no need to talk down to a student who is busily attempting to complete his or her Math 600 homework or solve ancient conflicts in international relations. We get it. Be quiet. Be respectful. If we, to the best of our ability, treat adults and one another with respect, please return the favor. It is too soon to tell whether or not this policy will effectively reduce noise in the library. So far, librarians seem to interrupt whispering students more frequently than students themselves distract others. Perhaps when everyone on campus is fully informed of the new policy, librarians will interrupt less frequently and students won’t be whispering in the first place. But if this policy does not work out as well as is hoped, hopefully the library can go back to its relaxed atmosphere as a place to learn and, in the words of Mr. Kiberd, “kick back.”
