Evaluation of the acoustic performance of library buildings: the case study of Dokuz Eylül University Fine Arts Library

Abstract

Libraries are centers that house all kinds of digital and physical information sources with the aim of informing their target audience and meeting the society's information needs from past to present. Over time, these spaces have evolved to meet the needs of different locations, institutions, and user profiles, and have been categorized into different types such as public libraries, national libraries, special research libraries, school libraries, and university libraries. University libraries are spaces used by university users and require silence due to the need for focus. Reduction of noise and provision of acoustic comfort in these indoor spaces are designers’ responsibilities. Acoustic comfort can be achieved through interventions in the walls, ceilings, partition elements, materials, and textures that make up the spatial layout and architectural design. The Fine Arts Library of Dokuz Eylül University, one of the oldest universities in Izmir and serving 72,400 students, was selected within the scope of this study to examine indoor acoustic comfort. In terms of methodology, on-site measurement and analysis methods were used. During the measurements, three points were selected in the selected space within the library building, and initially, data belonging to the objective parameters of sound such as RT (reverberation time), EDT(early decay time), D50, and STI (speech transmission index) were analyzed for the current situation. Then, parameters that deviated from the optimum value ranges were evaluated with changes in materials on the surfaces of the library.