Enjoying a quiter, calmer library

For some people, crowds and noisy spaces are the stuff of nightmares.  If this sounds like you, there are some simple ways to get the books you need, use the library, ask questions when you need to, avoid all the noise and bustle, and find a place to work quietly without distractions.  Simply follow these simple tips:

Arrive early or work late

Arrive before 10 am.  Most students arrive at the Library late in the morning, so if you get here earlier, you can find all the books you want and settle into the Individual Silent Study zone where you are much less likely to be disturbed. The library usually quietens down again in the early evening, from around 7 pm onwards.

Many of our neurodivergent students tell us they enjoy using the library late in the evening and even through the night because it is so quiet at these times. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is vital for maintaining your health and wellbeing, but if you have a flexible timetable or can sleep in and work better later in the day, play to your strengths.

Side note – Reading for pleasure

While I’m writing about wellbeing, reading for pleasure can really help you relax quickly and effectively. You can find pleasure reading in the Book Nook, borrow pleasure reading from our collection on the first floor (classmarks 810-829), and why not join the public library for free and enjoy all their books, and audiobooks, ebooks and magazines?

Struggling to take the first step?

Many people find the library building daunting. The busy entrance, queues of people collecting cards, and the way the narrow entrance area opens up into a vast atrium is overwhelming for many people. If you can’t bring yourself to cross the threshold, ou are not along but help is at hand. Please book a librarian and let us know you would like to be met somewhere quiet when you make the appointment. Someone will arrange to meet you outside the Library and show you around at a time when we are less busy and advise on how we can support you.

Quiet spaces to study

Purple banners identify the entrances to the Individual Silent Study Zone on the second (top) floor. Borrow a laptop and charging cable from the lockers on the ground floor or bring your own and settle at a docking station to enjoy a desktop keyboard and screen set up or squirrel yourself away in a corner and enjoy a space with far fewer distractions.

There is now an accessible PC with additional accessibility software, an adjustable height desk and a fully adjustable ergonomic chair tucked around the corner to your left as you enter the smaller journals room in the silent zone. If you need to use an accessible computer, you can book this PC up to two weeks in advance. Please email library@port.ac.uk or speak with a member of our friendly Reception Desk team to ask to book the computer, letting us know which dates and between which times you want to book.

If anyone is disturbing you by making a noise, talking on their phone or to other people or otherwise being disruptive, please discreetly text our Security team on 07860 756894. Let them know where you are and briefly describe the problem. Someone will come around and speak to the people disturbing you.

Quieter than quiet

If you still find the noise level in the Individual Silent Study distracting, earplugs are available from the Library Help Desk located near Reception.  It helps us minimise our carbon footprint if you retain and re-use your earplugs. I always describe them as being like carrying your own personal silent zone in your pocket!

You can also use our drop-in individual silent study pods on the ground floor. With their own adjustable intensity, adjustable lighting and ventilation, you can close the door on the outside world and study in splendid isolation.

Getting help

Chat with a librarian using live online chat through the Library website.  You can get help without speaking to anyone face to face or talking to anyone.  You might be better off sending an email if your question is particularly involved and complicated, but for most enquiries, online chat gets you instant answers. You can also book a 1-2-1 online video chat appointment with your Faculty Librarian for specific research questions.

You can also chat with a librarian face-to-face at the Library Help Desk between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Although this can be a busy area to approach, the desk itself is tucked away and usually quite a quiet space.

This video shows you what to expect:

All this information is available on our Avoiding busy spaces web page. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask us.