What happened to the library? Vent!

[livndisney]

The library near me is TERRRRRRIBLE! It is more like a playground than a library. (Not that I blame the workers-but they stay behind the counter and don't say a word). The parents are too busy on the internet to notice what their children are doing. I have stopped trying to use the library, I request books online and just run in and pick them up.

 

[PatsGirl]

Our town library encourages preteens and teens to spend their after-school hours there There is a teen room for 13-17 and the tweens have a kids' room that they share with anyone under 13. Both rooms have four computers that no adults are supposed to use (they have their own), comfy couches and a strict NO CELL PHONE policy. I find our library to be very quiet with the occasional conversations in the teen room but they do have a door that can be closed.

DD takes the bus there twice a week because she has a girl scout meeting there one afternoon at 5 and it saves me from the transporting and gives her access to the books/research and another afternoon so that I can work late and not worry about her. She always calls from just outside the door when she arrives and then puts her phone on vibrate in case I need to get in touch with her. There is often 5 or 6 kids between 10 and 15 years old there after school.

 

[scrapquitler]

Yes the library should be quiet. If you have a problem, then you should speak with the librarian.

ON THE OTHER HAND....BARNES and NOBLE is ***NOT*** a library. There is no reason why someone sitting in Barnes and Noble should be shusshing me while I speak quietly to my husband about a book we are trying to find. Why do people think that Barnes and NOble should be a silent reading room?

 

[Gigi22]

Homeless people and those just released from the local psychiatric hospital often go to the main downtown branch of our public library. There have been a few suicides. And, at one of the suburban library branches one of the library staff was sexually assaulted by a teenager. Parents who blithely drop their kids off, or send them unescorted to the library, might want to seriously reconsider their choice of a public library as a safe place for children. Sad, but true.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Not only does our libraray sound just like the one you described, our library is located just across the street from a church that has a soup kitchen.

People arrive on the bus from neighboring communities and hang out at the library until the kitchen open.

You have no idea who is in the library anymore. I would not feel safe sending my kids to the library unsupervised.

TC

 

[Praying Colonel]

I'd encourage those of you who don't like the noise level at your library to complain to the library director--not the librarian at your branch, but the central office. Most times library noise is the result of policy which has been dictated to the individual branches and librarians by the central office. Most librarians don't like the noise level and rowdiness any more than you do. If enough people complain to the decision-makers in the central office, you have more chance that the policy will be changed.

 

[pigletgirl]

At our library, if you make too much noise AT ALL (doesn't matter where) you get fined at the bookstore.
1. Warning
2. $25.00
3. $50.00
Luckily most people who are serious studiers only go to our library.

 

[bookgirl]

In our library we do not quarentee quiet. We have hundreds sometimes thousands of people through the doors a day. We have two small group study rooms and one room we call the 'quiet room' (no talking allowed desks and tables set up for individual study or wifi/reading). Other than that people are asked to be considerate to others (we do often ask people to go to the lobby for loud conversations), we have large tables around the perimiters for tutoring and group work. Large multi computer tables for public use (we do limit cell phones at the computer tables but not in the main library) are constantly busy with people working, talking, moms with kids, kids sharing computers etc. Very busy, sometimes noisy but well used and someplace that people feel comfortable entering and asking questions.

Libraries have had to change with society. We are no longer a rigid institution. We are open and friendly and we want people to come in. People use to avoid libraries because they saw them as cold, rule driven, unwelcoming places with old ladies saying "shhhh" all the time. That's not who this society is anymore.

We seem to do okay with our large quiet reading room. I think people wish there was public use computers in there, but then again we constantly have people in here demanding unlimited time on the computers, unlimited use of meeting rooms for free, that children not be allowed in the library except for the childrens' area, oh and that anyone playing an online game or on social sights be made to give up thier time for people with 'important' buisness to do.

We're never going to make everyone happy, but I like the libraries today much better than 40 years ago.

 

[harleyquinn]

What happened to the nasty librarians uttering "SHHHHH!" ? I love the library but hate the noise!

Bolding is mine.
Which do you want: a quiet library with "nasty" librarians or a noisy library with friendly staff? Not saying you can't have both, but if you want quiet, you HAVE to do this:

I'd encourage those of you who don't like the noise level at your library to complain to the library director--not the librarian at your branch, but the central office. Most times library noise is the result of policy which has been dictated to the individual branches and librarians by the central office. Most librarians don't like the noise level and rowdiness any more than you do. If enough people complain to the decision-makers in the central office, you have more chance that the policy will be changed.

I HATE this and yet it is so true. The library staf would LOVE to get rid of cell phones or actually be allowed to tell people to be quiet, but those policies don't come from us, they come from the public. If no one complains, we continue what the masses seemingly want.

In our library we do not quarentee quiet. We have hundreds sometimes thousands of people through the doors a day. We have two small group study rooms and one room we call the 'quiet room' (no talking allowed desks and tables set up for individual study or wifi/reading). Other than that people are asked to be considerate to others (we do often ask people to go to the lobby for loud conversations), we have large tables around the perimiters for tutoring and group work. Large multi computer tables for public use (we do limit cell phones at the computer tables but not in the main library) are constantly busy with people working, talking, moms with kids, kids sharing computers etc. Very busy, sometimes noisy but well used and someplace that people feel comfortable entering and asking questions.

Libraries have had to change with society. We are no longer a rigid institution. We are open and friendly and we want people to come in. People use to avoid libraries because they saw them as cold, rule driven, unwelcoming places with old ladies saying "shhhh" all the time. That's not who this society is anymore.

We seem to do okay with our large quiet reading room. I think people wish there was public use computers in there, but then again we constantly have people in here demanding unlimited time on the computers, unlimited use of meeting rooms for free, that children not be allowed in the library except for the childrens' area, oh and that anyone playing an online game or on social sights be made to give up thier time for people with 'important' buisness to do.

We're never going to make everyone happy, but I like the libraries today much better than 40 years ago.

Thanks! I'm surprised it took 2 pages for one of us to explain what's really going on here. You did a great job.

Many libraries are now being built with 2 groups in mind...the loud groups (children, computer users, teens) and the quiet ones (people who need to read or study). New buildings are getting a floor for each, so everyone is happy, but unfortunatly not all of us are getting a new building anytime soon.

Think about it for a second, would a library cater to the louds who seem to FAR outnumber the 'need quiets'? Of course, we cater to people who use us more, because they are the ones with the (very loud) voice.

 

[scrapquitler]

At our library, if you make too much noise AT ALL (doesn't matter where) you get fined at the bookstore.
1. Warning
2. $25.00
3. $50.00
Luckily most people who are serious studiers only go to our library.

???

You get fined at the bookstore for making noise in the library?

 

[AKL_Megs]

About five years ago, I worked at a library... definately NOT quiet places. Thankfully, my library had pretty good "soundproof" study rooms (think of a dressing room with a desk, lamp, and window.)

 

[bumbershoot]

ON THE OTHER HAND....BARNES and NOBLE is ***NOT*** a library. There is no reason why someone sitting in Barnes and Noble should be shusshing me while I speak quietly to my husband about a book we are trying to find. Why do people think that Barnes and NOble should be a silent reading room?

That must have been a weird moment. Hope you told them just that!

DH was once shushed by a woman working on her computer who wanted him to move away because he was being too noisy (doing nothing but watching our son across the room, and when he needed to tell DS something he got up and told DS right in DS's ear)...perhaps reasonable if it had been the library or an office...but this was in the highly public lobby of the Grand Californian!

Libraries have had to change with society. We are no longer a rigid institution. We are open and friendly and we want people to come in. People use to avoid libraries because they saw them as cold, rule driven, unwelcoming places with old ladies saying "shhhh" all the time. That's not who this society is anymore.

We're never going to make everyone happy, but I like the libraries today much better than 40 years ago.

Seems that most people who are actually using the library as a library did not ask for these changes, though.

Surprisngly, even in our downtown library, there isn't much problem with noise (and when there is a problem, there's a security guard on top of the problem immediately...not to mention the security guards monitoring the bathroom use which is very much needed), so I don't have the problems that others here do. But those who do have the security guards talking to them aren't actually doing anything library-related. They are just using it as a place to sit all day.

I liked the libraries I grew up in, where it was very quiet and you whispered. Not quite 40 years ago, as I was just born and wasn't using a library, but once I did start using the library...

 

[NotUrsula]

Thanks! I'm surprised it took 2 pages for one of us to explain what's really going on here.

Well, I *was* going to answer, but I thought I'd let one of you youngun's take the lead.

Seriously, when I last managed a public library branch I suspect that Harley had yet to learn to read, so I stood back from this one. (Not that I'm not *in* public libraries at least twice a week, you understand; I just don't happen to work in that sector any more.)

What the other professionals have said is absolutely correct. If you want quiet study areas, let the central system administration know about it; rather loudly. (If you'll excuse the irony.) Very often directors and outreach officers can get carried away with the latest programming ideas without giving due regard to the practicalities of space considerations.

 

[freckles and boo]

In our library we do not quarentee quiet. We have hundreds sometimes thousands of people through the doors a day. We have two small group study rooms and one room we call the 'quiet room' (no talking allowed desks and tables set up for individual study or wifi/reading). Other than that people are asked to be considerate to others (we do often ask people to go to the lobby for loud conversations), we have large tables around the perimiters for tutoring and group work. Large multi computer tables for public use (we do limit cell phones at the computer tables but not in the main library) are constantly busy with people working, talking, moms with kids, kids sharing computers etc. Very busy, sometimes noisy but well used and someplace that people feel comfortable entering and asking questions.

Libraries have had to change with society. We are no longer a rigid institution. We are open and friendly and we want people to come in. People use to avoid libraries because they saw them as cold, rule driven, unwelcoming places with old ladies saying "shhhh" all the time. That's not who this society is anymore.

We seem to do okay with our large quiet reading room. I think people wish there was public use computers in there, but then again we constantly have people in here demanding unlimited time on the computers, unlimited use of meeting rooms for free, that children not be allowed in the library except for the childrens' area, oh and that anyone playing an online game or on social sights be made to give up thier time for people with 'important' buisness to do.

We're never going to make everyone happy, but I like the libraries today much better than 40 years ago.

Our local library is quite like this. I love it. It functions almost as a second community center with books. There are quiet rooms and adult only reading rooms but fully half the space is juvenile books. Much of the programming is for kids and teens, although there are many adult programs as well. Of course there are clear Rules of Conduct and they expect "indoor voices" but the environment is friendly, warm, and welcoming. I am a bookworm and I love peace and quiet but I don't need to hear a pin drop at the library.

 

[bookgirl]

Thanks! I'm surprised it took 2 pages for one of us to explain what's really going on here. You did a great job.

Many libraries are now being built with 2 groups in mind...the loud groups (children, computer users, teens) and the quiet ones (people who need to read or study). New buildings are getting a floor for each, so everyone is happy, but unfortunatly not all of us are getting a new building anytime soon.

Think about it for a second, would a library cater to the louds who seem to FAR outnumber the 'need quiets'? Of course, we cater to people who use us more, because they are the ones with the (very loud) voice.

Our newer buildings are all being given a large 'quiet' room.

I've been a regular at my system my whole life (though not at the branch where I work). I loved going there as a kid to get books but really I didn't like being there for anything else, and I learned how to do for myself just so I wouldn't have to talk to the crabby ladies who worked there. I have much better relationships with my customers than any librarian ever had with me while I was a customer.

And yes while some people do complain about noise/cellphones/kids/etc they are a tiny portion of our customer base, so we are going to put most of our resources into policies that are not to thier liking. I will say though that my system has some very well worded policies and if we do feel that a situation is beyond the norm (kid screaming non stop for ten minutes in the adult section while mom 'ignores' the behavior, teens getting too many around a single computer, people eating a full course and very fragent lunch in the middle of the tables) we can ask them to leave for the day or until they are finished.

 

[live4christp1]

I think it's not just the library.....I think our society in general has lost almost all respect/consideration for other persons around them.

We went to eat Saturday afternoon at TGIFridays and there were two young couples seated together each with an infant in a stroller parked beside the table. One couples baby wailed the entire meal and never once did she bother to pick it up and console it. They were completely oblivious, didn't care at all if it was disturbing others. They just continued to carry on a conversation as if nothing was happening. DH got a headache from it.