Can you disable the volumes on the computers, so that it can only be audible through headphones. Don’t disable it entirely, but please make sure the computers can’t play any sound loudly without the use of headphones. 

Thanks for sharing what many of us consider an annoyance when we are trying to study with some quiet. It is our policy that headphones should always be used when listening to media of any type on our library computers. We even loan headphones to those who don’t have a pair (go to our Media Services Department).

According to the Library Systems Office, if a computer is ordered without an internal speaker, the computer will not be capable of producing any sound. We will investigate to determine if it is possible to customize the sound card to allow for sound through the headphone jack while disabling the speaker. It may be possible but we will have to experiment.

In the meantime, if a patron is making noise that is disturbing your study, if you do not feel comfortable asking the person to use headphones or stop the noise, go to a service desk and ask a member of the library staff to speak to the person making the noise. You other option is to study in one of our multiple quiet zones. If you need a computer, you can borrow a laptop from our circulation desk and take it to any quiet zone.

Thank you for sharing your suggestion with us.