Date: Saturday September 21, 2013

Time: 2:30pm

Location: Lobby area of the Toronto Reference Library

“Track list”:

Human:

Footsteps – repetitive, unique

• The sounds varied from person to person. Some would walk in a brisk pace – the soles of their shoes pounding heavily against the lobby floor – whereas, others would be walking in a leisurely pace. Their footsteps would be more soft and light compared to the former. The volume of the footsteps would become louder as they got closer to where I was sitting and then gradually fade away as the person walked away.

Chatter – repetitive 

• Although the library is meant to be a quiet study area, the lobby is filled with sounds of various conversations, ranging in different volumes. The conversations taking place closer to me would be louder and more distinct compared to the ones taking place further away from me. At one point I was able to pick out someone’s laughter.  This laughter would fall under the unique category because I believed that everyone has his or her own unique laugh. This particular laugh was more of a giggle and the pitch was slightly higher compared to a normal talking tone. The laugh only lasted for a few seconds and then slowly faded – the tone becoming softer.

Hands – unique

• The loud “clap” sound as two hands collided are a result of a pair of friends high-fiving one another as they greeted each other in the lobby area. The sound only lasted for a split second but because the pair was fairly close to me, I was able to heard the loudness of their high-five.

Technology:

Ringtone – unique

• As I sat there, somebody’s phone rang and the sound gradually got louder as the person pulled it out of his pocket. The pitch would go from low to high as the phone continued to ring until it disappeared abruptly as the person went to answer the call. 

Water Fountain – continuous

• There was a water fountain located at the entrance of the library and because I was seated closer to it, the volume was fairly loud. The water would splash against the rocks surrounding it and the sound created was of a medium pitch. The water sounds coming from the fountain sort of reminded me of heavy rainfall, pitter-pattering against a window.

Elevator – repetitive

• The loud “ding” sound signaling that the elevator has arrived is of a medium-high pitch while the sound of the doors opening and closing is of a medium-low pitch. The sounds created by the elevator doors create a “clang” sound as they slide shut each time and would usually last for about 8 seconds or so.

 Zipper – repetitive

• Before leaving the library, one is required to open their bags at the security checkpoint. As people exited the elevators, they would open the zippers to their bags while walking towards the exit. The pitch of the opening zippers would start off low and gradually turn to high as the zipper is pulled from one side to the other. The sound is almost mechanical depending on the type of zipper.

Doors – repetitive

• The  “swooshing” sounds of the doors opening and closing as people enter and exit the reference library are of a low pitch and would only last for about 5 seconds or so. 

Beeping of a machine – repetitive, unique

• The short, high-pitched beeping sound came from the machine used to check-out books from the library. As each barcode is scanned, the machine would beep loudly – indicating that the book has been scanned and entered into the system. Since  I was not seated too close to the check-out counters, the sound was not too loud but it was loud enough for me to identify if  I focused on it.

The various sounds that I heard are what I would consider normal to any lobby area – regardless of the type of building it is. The lobby area is a meeting place for those who are either just arriving or are about to leave, and depending on the time of the day, the various sounds created are unique to that area. In the other floors of the library, talking is limited and sometimes prohibited from happening. However, in the lobby area, this restriction is lifted and people are allowed to carry out their conversations slightly louder tones compared to the hushed ones that they had to use in the upper floors. In other words, these sounds indicate that the lobby is a place where conversations are allowed to be carried on freely without having to worry whether the volume is too loud or not. Also, in this particular lobby, I would have to say that its key note would be the water fountain. In my opinion, the first and last sound one hears when they enter or exit the library would be the sound of water falling and hitting against the rocks that decorate it; therefore, the sound of the water fountain is familiar to the lobby of the Toronto Reference library.