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Libe Etiquette: 5 Levels of Quiet

Leksi explains the conventions of the Gould Library and how students use its creative noise-level rules to their advantage.

Leksi explains the conventions of the Gould Library and how students use its creative noise-level rules to their advantage.


One of my biggest struggles as a first-term-first-year student at Carleton was separating my “homework” space from my “living” space. I quickly learned that, for me, doing homework in my room proved unproductive. My short attention span and easily distractible mind were no match for the homework pile I was slowly amassing, so I decided to try a new strategy that I hoped would help me focus.

Enter: The Libe. 

The Gould Library, affectionately nicknamed “The Libe” by the student body, is populated at any given point in the week, from open until close. Carleton students are busy people, and it seemed to me upon my very first entry that many of them shared my struggle with being unable to focus in their dorms.

whiteboard with writing and tally marks
The library posted its own floor preference poll last week. This board lives near the entrance and constantly has new miscellaneous prompts on it!

A sign near the entrance explains the five levels of quiet on each respective floor of the library. The order descends from loudest at the top to quietest at the bottom. This is, in my personal opinion, the Libe’s most useful feature. It allows students of all stages of “homeworking” (or not homeworking) to find an area suited to their noise preferences. 

5th Libe:

The fifth floor of the library constitutes a large balcony that overlooks part of the Quantitative Resource Center on the floor below. It’s filled with mostly restaurant-style booths that seat four people (or six if you’re ambitious). The fifth floor of the Libe is perfect for group discussions and projects. It’s structured specifically to encourage collaboration between students, and I’ve spent many hours there discussing computer science projects and trading peer feedback on religion essay structures. Some of my best ideas come from conversations on 5th Libe! 

Often, after all my friends and I have finished our work for the night, we head up to the fifth floor to catch up with one another and play various trivia games, quizzes, and video games. It’s a great way to wind down after a hard day of catching up on assignments. A word to the wise, though: excessive volume does occasionally carry from the balcony to the floors below, which we eventually found out the hard way… oops.

4th Libe:

The fourth floor of the library is without a doubt one of my most-visited locations on Carleton’s entire campus. It’s become routine for myself and a few friends to grab dinner at Burton together before heading to one of the bigger group tables there. We spend most of the evening acting as each other’s “study buddies,” sitting in a big circle and working on all our respective assignments.

people sitting at table with computers and papers
An action shot of my friends studying on fourth libe last week!

The fourth floor of the library is generally the most populous of all the floors, giving the environment a healthy mix of background noise and quiet conversation. The spots by the window are my personal favorite; most tables have three chairs, and it’s common for students to sit together on this floor and talk between tasks (or do tasks between talking, depending on the particular evening). 

3rd Libe:

The third floor of the library is where I head when I need to lock in. For solo work time, this is my favorite spot, and many of my friends seem to agree. The window desks on this floor are individual and partially closed off, which is perfect for encouraging focus. Not to mention they have a great view of the Lyman Lakes! Noise is generally kept minimal, especially by the window desks, but there are some group tables and comfy couch pits on the third floor where the noise level is slightly higher.

I’d say the appropriate level of conversation on this floor is the best approximation of a regular library. As a general rule I try to speak in a hushed voice when I’m on third, but I don’t wince when I make loud noises rustling paper or pulling out my laptop like I might on the lower floors.

2nd Libe:

Many of my friends have taken to discussing their workload in terms of the floor required to complete it. It seems that Carleton students equate the different floors not only with noise but also occasionally levels of focus. I’ve never spent an extensive amount of time on the second floor, but I know many people who headed there during mid-terms in the fall to finish up essays with rapidly approaching deadlines. The second floor is quiet; speech is generally frowned upon, but other sounds like rummaging around in backpacks or flipping through pages seem to be acceptable.

1st Libe: 

Since I arrived at Carleton this past fall, I have been on the first floor once. One fateful day last term I crept down the steps as quietly as possible to explore the layout of the floor. Upon hitting the landing I noticed the deafening silence. I scanned the floor briefly, seeing a surprising number of people for the lack of sound they were producing. My visit was short-lived, though; I accidentally jingled my keys and immediately felt inclined to leave. I have not returned since. “Quiet” is an understatement down there!

Check out the Gould Library!

The Libe has the perfect study spot with the perfect level of background noise (or lack thereof!) for anyone and everyone. The diversity that the building offers has allowed it to act not only as a study spot but also as a true hub of student activity. If you, too, struggle to focus in your room, I highly recommend a change of scenery like a visit to the library. Happy studying!


Leksi (she/her) is a first-year Carleton student from Colorado Springs, Colorado and a prospective pre-law Psychology or Cognitive Science major. So far, she could not be happier with her college decision! Northfield and Carleton have done an amazing job providing Leksi with the only five things she needs to thrive: local coffee, music, wilderness, the gym, ice hockey, and (of course!) her friends. She is involved in club ice hockey and the Carleton Association of Nature and Outdoor Enthusiasts (CANOE). If you’re unsure where to find Leksi on campus, your best bet is the group tables on Fourth Libe or hopelessly lost somewhere deep in the arb. Meet the Other Bloggers!