There is an ongoing issue with students talking in pairs (and on mobile phones etc.) in many of the library "Quiet Study" zones. This happens so frequently that one single student in an area could not possibly reprimand all the students without being hated by a good number of people in the zone. This issue has become more pressing as mobile phones etc. invaded the earth, and the pontential for distraction is higher in libraries. Other university and public libraries have strict rules and signage so this is a public issue that affects many people.
Does the UQ library agree that this is an issue?
In this case I might suggest that the signage been changed to "Silent Individual study" and "No Mobile Phones", because it is clear that a significant number of students incorrectly misinterpret the "Quiet Study" signage as "It's ok we talk as long as we talk quietly". Better signage means that no misinterpretation can occur.
However, if I have incorrectly misinterpreted the signage, and it actually means "Quiet study", which actually 'little to no noise' - and is of course open to interpretation, where does this leave students who want to study in complete silence?
Are we able have some strictly silent zones?
Thankyou for any comments/suggestions.