I worked in a public library a few years back and the staff hated it
when HS kids came in during evening hours. They were noisy,
destructive, and terrorized the rest of the patrons. They tore up books,
threw litter everywhere, knocked books off the shelves, and wrote
obscenities on the furniture.
There is no accountability, no way to discipline them, it's nearly
impossible to get their names. Unless it's a very small community,
there is no way to know who they are.
We had to do frequent "patrols" to try to keep them in line. A few
times we had the local police come in to move them out of the library
because they were being noisy and disruptive.
And then there was the elderly patron with dementia whose wife would
dump him off for the day so she could do her errands. He would, um, how
do I say this delicately, um, he would entertain himself in front of
anyone and everyone. We had to call the police a number of times about
him, too. Who knew that sitting in a room full of books would be so
stimulating?
Jaime Jeanne Meadows
St. Helens High School
Library Media Center
2375 Gable Road
St. Helens, OR 97051
503 366-7417
-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Pam Gelbmann
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 1:17 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: PUBLIC LIBRARIES- DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR BY STUDENTS
Maybe it's a combination parental irresponsibility and the My Rights are
Better than Your Rights attitude. I see behavior ignored by parents in
public places that apalls me. My 15 year old son was watching one kid
throw a fit at WalMart with his mouth open. He turned to me and
commented that if any of my kids did that in a store they wouldn't
live. Maybe not as severe as that but I sure wouldn't allow the behavior
to continue. The other part is the attitude that public buildings and
services should serve everybody even if they are infringing on other
people's ability to use the service.
--
Pam Gelbmann, Media Specialist
Wilson Elem. MN
Pam.Gelbmann@comcast.net
"In the nonstop tsunami of global information librarians provide us
with floaties and teach us to swim."
--Linton Weeks, Washington Post, January 13, 2001
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