Rationale
The mission of the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries is to "inspire and empower students and faculty to excel in innovative research and creative activity, outstanding teaching and publishing, and deep, reflective learning." The Quiet Policy that follows has been developed to encourage individuals to respect the rights of all library users and to help create an environment that promotes learning and supports research.
Policy
All Indiana University Bloomington Libraries attempt to maintain quiet study areas. The availability of limited talking and group study areas is dependent upon the size and configuration of the individual libraries. Some cannot support limited and unlimited talking areas.
Cell phones: While in the library, please turn off your ringer or set your phone to vibrate. Confine your voice conversations to non-library spaces in the building or, in the case of the Wells Library, to the lobby or the BookMarket Cafe.
Quiet Areas in Bloomington Campus Libraries
Herman B Wells Library
Quiet Areas:
| East Tower | Reference Reading Room and Floors 2, 4-11 |
| West Tower | Floors 2 and 3 |
Limited Talking:
| East Tower | Reference Desk Area Circulation Desk Area Government Information, Maps & Microform Services (GIMMS), Floor 2 |
| Ground Floor | Moving Image Collections and Archives |
Group Study Areas:
| Main Lobby | |
| West Tower | Floor 1, Learning Commons Floors 4 and 5 |
IUB Branch Libraries
| Business/SPEA Information Commons | Limited Talking and Group Study Areas |
| Education Library | Quiet and Limited Talking areas |
| Lilly Library | Quiet |
| Music Library & Archives of Traditional Music | Quiet, Limited Talking, and Unlimited Talking areas |
| Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Library | Limited Talking with one Quiet Study Room |
| Sciences Library | Quiet, Limited Talking, and Group Study Areas |
| University Archives | Quiet |
Areas within a library may be designated as follows:
- Quiet Area: Use is reserved for individual research and study with library materials. No study groups are allowed in these areas.
- Limited Talking: Use of library resources may require library staff assistance, instruction and/or consultation. There may be residual noise from programs and media. Personal conversations and extended talking are not appropriate.
- Group Study Areas: Talking in normal conversational tones is permitted as appropriate for collaboration and small group (2-8) discussion. Large groups (more than 8), loud talking and other disruptive behavior is not appropriate. Work on class projects, tutoring and joint use of library materials is encouraged.