Libraries Policies
James Branch Cabell Library Quiet Building Guidelines
Approved April 18, 2005
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Purpose
The James Branch Cabell Library provides space for research and study that supports the needs of students and faculty while preserving and protecting the collections for future users. The VCU Libraries is committed to providing its users a safe, clean, and pleasant environment for research, learning and study. The VCU Libraries has developed building regulations that help create a supportive academic environment. These guidelines are intended to help students and others understand and comply with building regulations, and to help staff enforce those regulations.
Guidelines
Fourth Floor
- The entire fourth floor of James Branch Cabell Library is a designed Quiet Study Floor. Users should turn off (or set to an inaudible signal) all cell phones, pagers, and other devices with audible alarms upon entering the fourth floor. Talking and conversation of any kind is discouraged. Group study is not allowed on the fourth floor; the entire floor is reserved for individual research and study.
Third Floor
- The entire third floor of James Branch Cabell Library is designed as a "sotto voce" (Italian for "under the breath", i.e., a quiet voice) floor. Limited, quiet conversation related to academic work and group study is permitted throughout the third floor. Personal conversations and extended talking are discouraged.
Second Floor
- The second floor Group Study Area in Cabell Library is designed specifically for group study and consultation. Normal conversational tones are permitted as appropriate for collaboration and small group discussion. Large groups (more than eight), loud talking, and other disruptive behavior are not appropriate. The Group Study Room is ideal for class projects, tutoring, and joint use of library materials. Outside of the Group Study Room, users of the second floor should be mindful that they are in a library and that students and faculty are engaged in academic work nearby. Conversations and noise should be limited so as not to disturb others.
First Floor
- The first floor of Cabell Library has areas that by their nature are not quiet: the entry lobby, the Java901 coffee café, and the busy circulation and references desks. Even in these areas, users should be mindful that they are in a library and that students and faculty are engaged in academic work nearby. Users in areas away from the entrance to Cabell Library should not experience disruptive noise from other users. Limited conversations related to academic work study are permitted. Group study activities should move to the Group Study Room on the second floor or to one of the study rooms on the south side of the first floor.
Use of Cell Phones
- Users may use their phones only in designated locations in Cabell Library, including the second floor pay telephone area, the first floor outer lobby, the coffee cafe, and the building's outer stairwells. Cell phone use is prohibited elsewhere in the building. Users must be considerate toward and show respect for other users when using mobile telephones in designated areas in the Libraries.
All users bear responsibility to select an area in Cabell Library that best fits their needs while in Cabell. Users should not choose areas where their work will disturb others or where the permitted activities of others may disturb them.
Enforcement
The VCU Libraries reserves the right to revoke or restrict library privileges of any user for behavior contrary to library regulations and these guidelines. Failure to comply with the VCU Libraries' established rules and regulations may result in exclusion from library facilities for the day or permanently. Individuals in violation of the Statutes of the Commonwealth of Virginia, city codes, or federal laws are subject to those provisions, in addition to the sanctions of library regulations. Library staff or campus police may request any user to provide identification. The VCU Libraries reserves the right to report inappropriate behavior to university officers.