Seeking the sound of silence? 

​For some people, bustling crowds and noisy spaces are the stuff of nightmares.  If this is you, there are some simple tricks and tips for getting hold of everything you need and hiding away in the quiet recesses of the Library without ever having to contend with crowds.  Here are our top tips for enjoying a quieter library:

Arrive before everyone else 

It's quiet in the Library before 10 am. Most students start arriving from 11 am onwards, so if you find all the books you want and make your way to the Individual Silent Study zone or find a cloistered corner and start using your noise-cancelling earplugs before this, you should be fine.  

The Library usually quietens down again in the early evening from around 6 pm. 

Carry a silent zone in your pocket

Sound cancelling earplugs are available for free from the Reception Desk. These earplugs effectively let you carry a silent zone in your pocket. We are trying to be sustainable, so please hang onto your pair and reuse them! 

Sound-cancelling earplugs are available from the Reception Desk that reduce ambient sound by approximately 34 dB.

Enter the Individual Silent Zone 

There is an Individual Silent Study Zone up on the second (top) floor, marked by purple banners.  Separated from the rest of the Library by doors on all sides, this area is quieter than anywhere else. You can still use earplugs in the silent zone to make it even quieter.  

Take a laptop with you 

If you need to use a laptop, you can borrow one with a charging cable from any of the lockers on the ground floor using your student card or bring your own device and plug it into the walls. If the noise level in the Individual Silent Study zone is still distracting you, earplugs are usually available from the Library Help Desk.  It helps us minimise our carbon footprint if we retain and re-use these again as much as possible. 

The Individual Silent Study Zone spans half the second (top) floor of the library  

Trouble in paradise? 

If someone is making a noise or otherwise disturbing your study, please discreetly text our Security Team your location and the nature of the problem to 07860 756894. A member of security will come around and speak to anyone creating a nuisance. No one will be told who made the complaint. 

Need something else?

You can chat with a librarian using our online chat service.  It's silent, always on, and there is no pressure to reply immediately if you prefer to spend a few minutes thinking about what you have been told before asking follow up questions.  If you prefer, feel free to email us instead.  We respond all day during staffed Library hours.You can find all the different ways you can get in touch on our How we can help page.