Ok. Here's the truth.
I'm really tired of the whole silence-the-cell-phone-while-in-the-library thing.
Never mind trying to figure out where the annoying ring tone is coming from. Never mind dirty-eyeing the patron trying to dash out the door while conversing at full volume. Never mind ferreting out the sneaky talkers hiding in the stacks. It's all a losing game anyway.
I'm tired of feeling guilty while shushing moms with toddlers - are they yakking with a pal? Or trouble-shooting problems with another child? Do they have to drag their kids out to the lobby while they talk, or is it better to abandon one child in the library while they scoot out the door to calm down the one at the other end of the line? I don't know. Why do I have to?
Let's call the whole thing off! Let's experiment! Let's have a cellular chorus and just ignore the phone question altogether. So what if it's noisy in the library! It's already noisy anyway. It might be amusing - there is such a variety of ring tones, and I see a fair amount of smirking going on at particular rings. It might be cacophonous. Well, so be it. If folks don't care enough to turn their phones off already, maybe they won't care.
After all, who is the quiet for? Us? Probably not, we already have to talk at volume with hard-of-hearing patrons on the phone, and in front of us. For other patrons? Well, perhaps, but they stand and chatter with each other for long periods of time, or call to each other across the library, so I'm not sure who we are trying to fool. There are still some people who seem to respect the traditional quiet rules of the library, but they are so few! What do they matter!
I say, let's give in and enjoy the chaos.
And that's my rant for this morning. Please feel free to participate in my poll!
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10 comments:
Amen! Phones are ringing all the time in our building, whats a few more? i would, however, appreciate their undivided attention when conducting a reference transaction. Just as I would do so when in a department store at the cash register. I think its more about manners, which is another issue all together in our current world.
Other patrons complain about cell-phone users. Using a cell-phone is not a right! What is next, allow them in movie theaters? What about smokers? the same argument could be used for them.
Yes it is a pain to be cell-phone police, but that doesn't mean we should stop it.
I find it very hard to concentrate when someone is on a cell phone nearby and I imagine that many of our patrons feel the same way. If I haven't got used to it by now, I don't think I ever will. I think that our users do appreciate us stepping in. At WST, a compromise might be to make the hall by the restrooms a cell phone corral.
What I would like to see, however, is a loosening of our attitude toward food and drink, especially drink. Covered containers, bottles with narrow mouths, sports bottles, etc. Let 'em have 'em!
As to drink in the library, you want to explain why we have to replace computer parts because a patron dumped their coke on the keyboard?
I agree with smartgirl in that patrons should finish their cell phones conversations before coming up to the desk with a question. It's simply common courtesy and while I understand cell phone usage just about anywhere is part of the culture these days, culture should not be an excuse for lousy manners.
I'm fine with phones, babies, whatever going off in the library. But there comes a point where you need to think of others around you when the noise level gets excessive. We ask patrons to take calls into a hallway area and if a child is whaling on for quite a while without parental involvement, we will speak to the parent. Be carefree and cavalier about it, but realize that everyone has limits and we owe it to patrons to create some sense of civility.
This is super great!! thanks for polling and commenting - the cellphone issue IS one we are confronted with every day. And yes the common courtesy and manners question is a wonder. What will it take for people to use them? (manners I mean).
Chiming in here... I don't see cell phones as any different from any other noise. If people are talking quietly and better yet have their phone set to vibrate then who am I to tell them they are being more disruptive than the patrons chatting over study materials... I am all for containing excessive noise but all cell phone users do not fall under that category.
Perhaps I am too liberal in my leanings because the idea of food and drink doesn't scare me that much either... the messy ones are already sneaking it in... it's the rule followers who would probably be careful that aren't allowed.
Oh - if everyone could just be trusted to have manners :-)
I agree with CarolJen... it makes sense to me that when a cell phone rings and is loud/distracting/annoying that we should address that with patrons, just as we talk to them about loud kids or people who have voices that carry. BUT if people are talking at the same level (and some talk instinctively lower because they are on the phone) as other people in the branch, then why shouldn't they be able to talk too?
In fact, I think we should play classical music in the branch to act as noise buffer.
We really need to take the bookstore model and use it for more than just displaying books (even this we could do better...)- food and drink- yes! Cell phones- sure! Just everything in moderation...
End rant.
Dear Curious,
I am tired of cell phones and loud talkers. They make me cringe. In fact we just had a very loud person in a very quiet small branch so I decided to chime in. (AC down). I am guilty of being loud now and then; sometimes it just comes out that way. I don't mind if sometimes asks me to speak softly. I believe we can pass some good habits/behavior on by asking people to step outside to talk on cells or to lower their voice. Most offenders don't realize the effect their having on others.
We can't monitor everything, but we can try to keep the level down so that its comfortable for the majority.
I think the majority of people who answer their phones in the library do try to speak quietly. That's why they hide in the stacks and lurk in the corners. They are trying to be courteous rather than hiding from us (okay, I do know one man who hides all the time!)
But we do have to set a standard. Letting your kids run amok in a public space is disruptive no matter where you are, and so is talking on your phone when people are trying to concentrate.
As for food and drink, our branch just got new carpet and we are already scraping red goo off the conference room carpet. Some people are messy and all of us spill things occasionally. No food or drink in the library! We just don't have enough extra carpet tiles for everyone.
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