Soundscapes in Public Libraries - A case study

This study investigates the acoustic conditions of reading spaces in a public library in Melbourne. An acoustics performance survey for library users was developed to evaluate library use, sound environment and noise, and a face-to-face survey was conducted in the library. The library users described their sound environment as 'pleasant', 'appropriate' and 'calm'. The respondents of two reading rooms expressed a high level of satisfaction with sound environment and a neutral perception of noise, neither noisy nor quiet. Three main sources of noise, namely, 'footsteps', 'people' and 'chair dragging' were also found in the reading spaces. Interestingly, it was found that noise from lift, windows and doors opening, traffic and construction noise and noise from birds outside the building, resulted in the difference between user perception of noise between two reading rooms. It could be interpreted that this result was related to the library space layout, building design and building services. It is recommended that the link between architectural characteristics and space use pattern and acoustic performance be examined in public library buildings.