Gabrielle loves going to the library’s reading room because “the air had a stillness” and it “calmed her nerves.” Do you think libraries foster this sense of peace in general? Is there someplace you frequent where you experience a similar stillness?
Some libraries yes, some no. I worked for a library system that throughout our small towns has 30 libraries. I am a member of Friends of the Library at my very small branch. We want to build a new library so last summer we visited some of our branches that have been able to build. My favorite was in our small Washington town of Quincy. The library was built over 30 years ago! What I liked was when you walk into the library you turn right to a small reading room. It has a closed door. Inside many windows looking out and a fireplace, wonderful chairs to sit in and a writing desk. It is for the people that do not like the noise and business that many libraries have. I told my friends we need a wonderful quiet reading room in our new library.
I have been in libraries where I get this sense of calm. So, I think I can understand Gabrielle’s feeling. Not all libraries promote that same feeling for me though. There is a quiet park, overlooking Lake Michigan, where I sit and read sometimes in nice weather. This gives me that same kind of calming stillness.
For me, libraries feel like home whether it is a big library with quiet books or a small bustling library with noisy budding readers.
I do love to walk into a library, all those books waiting to be read! For a sense of peace and stillness I prefer finding a spot in nature, even one tree or a flower can ground you and bring you calm.
I feel like a kid in a candy store when I enter a library but do not sit and read in them. I prefer sitting outside surrounded by trees and flowers in a quiet corner of my backyard.
I feel a sense of calm when I am in a library. I also feel a sense of calm if I’m in a small locally owned coffee shop with a book and a good coffee.
I used to work at a library and I loved the feeling of peace and stillness that existed there compared to some of the loud and busy jobs that I had later in life.
I do think libraries offer the science of peace Gabrielle felt but maybe less so now than in years past. Seems like libraries are a bit louder now and less calming but still a refuge.
Those of us who love books and libraries might feel this and I think that sense can be expanded to other places from childhood.
I find this at bookstores and libraries. I also try to attend our local Silent Book Club which is at different locations. I think it’s as much about being in the company of others reading in solidarity as it is the actual location.
Our small local library is not convenient and I have developed some difficulties walking, etc so I don’t spend a lot of time there. But some of my very best experiences as a child and student were spent in the library where there were so many fascinating things to learn. Now I trade books with friends and especially my sisters so I don’t miss the actual library building so much.
I agree that a library with a calming room, or a special quiet place in one’s home can give a sense of peace. One can think and be creative, observant, in a quiet place.
I have been in several that foster this sense of peace. During my college years, I spent some very quiet times, in desks hidden in the stacks. Now I also find a sense of peace in the woods or wooded parks. I grew up in the Piney Woods and love trees. They have always had a calming effect on me.
My local library has a lot of community and children literacy involvement so it is not very quiet and peaceful, but I am not complaining at all! I find peace and quiet mostly late at night or in my car.
I absolutely agree that libraries foster a sense of peace. That doesn’t always mean there’s the stillness Gabrielle appreciates, but I think the space offers comfort. I often experience a similar stillness in the woods or even a quiet parkbench.
Yes, when I was in college, I found the library stacks great for studying. The library had a couple of tables and chairs in the stacks, and it was never crowded. It made me feel relaxed, and I was able to get more done there.