Libraries are places to read, to study, to enrich oneself. They aren't malls. They aren't hang-out spots for you and your loud, obnoxious, inconsiderate friends. Is library etiquette dead? Did it die between the time the Spring Garden Library closed and the Halifax Central Library opened? I'm conflicted on which should be the quietest floors. On the one hand the second floor (the children's floor) is currently, constantly and tragically filled with screaming, rioting, flailing children. WHY? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? This is the time and the place for them to be taught not to be a screaming ear-terrorist. This is the place and time for them to learn respect for libraries. But, on the other hand, EVERY OTHER FLOOR is filled with adults (or people old enough to be acting like them) and for the LOVE OF GOD, those people should know by now the proper way to act in a library. As much as I love to see the new Halifax Central Library filled with hundreds of people—to see it brimming with life and activity—I honestly cannot wait for the glossy honeymoon popularity of it to wear off and the dedicated, respectful, quiet die-hard academics, bibliophiles and otherwise courtesy-quiet to give the space the respect it deserves. And for me to be able to read a god damn book without wearing headphones. —Where have the shushers gone!?