Kenny Chesney, 50-Cent, Shakira, Coldplay and many other music artists have made an appearance in the McIntyre Library. The sounds of students’ conversations may follow with each beat.

The tunes of cell phones ring and some students answer as if they’re in the confinement of their home. As students enter the library they are met with the sign, “Please be considerate of others and limit cell phone usage while in the library.”

What does “limit cell phone usage” mean?
“There is no official rule on cell phone use in the library,” said Christopher Cox, interim library director.

He said the first and second floors tend to have higher noise levels than the third, fourth and fifth.

“The fourth floor is silent and no one receives service in the basement,” said sophomore Allison Muer, who spends three to four hours a day in the library. The ring tones might be a distraction for students who are trying to get their work done, she added.

Many students agreed, saying they put their phones on vibrate.

“You should be able to feel it, not hear it,” Muer said.

Although the noise can be annoying, freshman Kelsey Carlson said it doesn’t bother her if people talk for a few minutes in a low voice.

“I always try to be respectful of other students, so I go outside of the library to talk on my phone,” she said.

There are 208 million cell phone users in America, according to Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. This might be a problem for students who frequently use their cell phones, but the library has plenty of open space to accommodate students.

“There are five floors; you can find another spot,” Carlson said.

If space isn’t the issue, how do cell phone users know what is appropriate for use in a place like the library?

“Our library trend is different than most public libraries; we interact with information and social space,” Cox said. “We don’t want to disrupt others but we want it to be comfortable for everyone.”

Enforcement, Cox said, would be a problem. He stressed that he didn’t want his staff to “police” the building and watch students.

People are going to use cell phones, so a ban would be crazy and ridiculous, most students said. Cell phone use is reduced in a few public places already; movie theaters, opera houses, playhouses and religious institutions ask patrons to turn off their phones as a sign of courtesy to others. Cox said it might be asking too much for students to turn their phones to vibrate and answer them away from other students in the library.

Libraries are traditionally places of peace and quiet, where people can escape the hectic ways of life for some downtime inside their doors. The world is changing though, senior Carissa Krautkramer said.

“We should adapt to laptop and cell phone usage,” she said. “(McIntyre Library) should keep up with what technology is available to them and students.”

Woody Evans, a public services librarian at Tarrant County College and the author of “Phones are Everywhere” on the Library Journal Web site, said that instead of worrying about trying to control the noise phones create, we should focus on how to allow cell phones and the library to co-exist.

“Hopefully we can find a common ground for cell phone users and our library to stand on,” Cox said.