The Problem

Three earlier EzineArticles introduce and discuss my analysis of the noise problem in modern libraries:

(August 4, 2011) Library Standards Have Crumbled-Time To Reclaim Quiet introduces the problem and makes the call for a return to traditional quiet as the proper foundation of courtesy and concentration in true learning.

(August 9, 2011) Library Noise Now The Golden Standard – New Values Corrupt Silence pins the blame for the problem of noisy libraries largely on the dominant cultural values of Western society that reject silence.

(August 17, 2011) Modern Education Experts Profess Value Of Silence – Why Librarians Ignore locates the source of the noisy library problem in current pedagogies (i.e., teaching philosophies) that privilege speech, as documented by five, peer-reviewed expert sources in the field of education.

The present EzineArticle lists four additional, peer-reviewed, expert sources that further document troubling cultural forces in today’s educational system that are degrading the quality of these once-quiet public spaces.

The following paragraphs list citations of my latest sources, along with my interpretations of each source’s main points:

Huey-li Li (2001). Silences And Silencing Silences. THE PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION SOCIETY YEARBOOK 2001:157-165.

Educational discussions about silence seem to be erroneous and one-dimensional, treating the absence of talk as the consequence of a disciplinary act only.

In modern discussions about multi-cultural education, educators should re-think the simple dichotomy of silence versus speech and challenge the primacy of speech. Read the rest of this entry »