Many librarians have encountered sleeping patrons…but this story from New Zealand draws the line at snoring while sleeping at the library.
“High power prices and heating restrictions imposed on homestay students are driving people to the library on cold winter days – to sleep.
Language school students Justina Liu and Dory Wang, who were seen napping at the New Lynn War Memorial Library last Saturday, say they go there if they want an afternoon nap, because their homestay parents won’t let them use heaters at home during the day.
“It’s nice and warm here, and the seats are really comfortable,” said Miss Liu, who is from Hebei, China.
“Of course the best thing about it is that it’s free and there’s no one telling you to turn off the heater.”
But it’s not only homestay students needing a warm place to sleep.
Housewife Jan Togiola also said she went to “libraries with plush seats” to catch a nap in between reading the newspapers because high power prices had made it “impossible to afford” heating in her home.
Library user Catherine Jones said she found such behaviour “rude and inconsiderate” and had complained to staff at the Auckland Central library a couple of times in the past fortnight.
“It’s not just the sleeping … sometimes it’s the snoring that I find irritating when you want to have a quiet read in the library,” Mrs Jones said. “
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