Dear Answer Person,
I’m not sure who else to say this to, so I’m saying it to you. These groups of high school kids who spend a lot of time in the libraries at the computer labs are extremely distracting. I understand some amount of conversation may be necessary to whatever they are doing, but it seems they make no effort to keep the laughing and shouting to a minimum. One group just left and I was able to work in peace for about 5 minutes before the next group arrived.
I’m sure no one cares about this, but I hope if someone does, some requests can be made to the people who handle these matters.
Yours Sincerely,
Some patron and fan of Duke Libraries
Dear Some Patron and Fan of Duke Libraries,
Seems to me that these gosh darn kids simply aren’t aware of library etiquette. My suggestion is to politely let them know you’re conducting research and that their volume is distracting you. If you don’t get satisfaction, you should inform the library staff at the nearest service point and ask them to address the problem. I believe these are, in the vernacular, teachable moments.
Best,
AP