Matt Luna, a 2008 Lawrence High graduate, center, does some research on his laptop in the basement of the Lawrence Public Library while another patron searches the aisles for books. Because of the changing nature of libraries, some are establishing quiet

It’s a busy morning at the Lawrence Public Library.

Children are noisily filing in, waiting to sign up for the Summer Reading Program. Parents are talking among themselves while leading their cooing toddlers to storytime, while older patrons sit huddled around a group of laptops.

“I think there’s a change in what libraries mean to people,” said Lynn Koenig, adult services coordinator at the library, 707 Vt. “People are looking for entertainment. Libraries are becoming more social so it’s just loud everywhere. And we want that; we want lots of activity. But we don’t really have a space where you can just check out and quietly read.”

Quiet corners in which to sit in silence are in short supply these days as libraries become more technologically connected and more interactive. That’s why many libraries have begun creating “quiet rooms” where patrons can get a little peace and quiet.

“We find that public libraries are different than they used to be,” said Bruce Flanders, Lawrence Public Library director. “Ten years ago even, but certainly 20 or 30 years ago, a library was almost entirely a very quiet space. There weren’t computers, there weren’t printers running, there weren’t as many patrons. A library is more of a community hub now with more meetings and more activities.”

Libraries today offer public access to the Internet, CDs and DVDs, as well as group meeting spaces.

“We’ve evolved and we’re many more things than we used to be,” Flanders said. “Any newer public library that I’ve gone to in the last five years has quiet study rooms. It’s definitely something that we want to bring to Lawrence.”

The question is not whether administrators at the library want to create quiet rooms, said Sherri Turner, the library’s assistant director. It’s a problem of where to put them.

“We’re so small it’s hard to find a place that we can actually shut off to create such a space, but it’s certainly on our wish list,” Turner said.

Flanders said the Lawrence library, which was built in 1972, is crowded and there isn’t space for quiet rooms at the moment. He said a business resource center planned for the library would include a small study and conference room, and hopefully could add more quiet reading spaces.

“This is all a reflection of the way public libraries have changed and the fact that libraries are more active,” Flanders said.