A columnist (“the Red Phone”) for the Gilroy CA Dispatch responds to a complaint from a reader on the use of cell-phones in the library.
The patron complained to the Red Phone column that “I’m appalled at the library etiquette in there and that the librarians do not enforce any kind of etiquette. I was at a computer doing some research and this woman was across the computer from me on a cell phone yakking away for about 20 minutes.”
The columnist contacted the Gilroy Library and spoke with Community Librarian Lani Yoshimura who said, “We do not encourage cell phone use in the library, but it does happen. And people tend to get really angry when we say something about it. … We try to encourage people to go outside if they need to use a cell phone.�
Librarian Yoshimura went on to comment on how things have changed in libraries with the addition of new technologies. “People think of the old traditional libraries where people would just say, ‘SHH!’ and that’s not really what some libraries are today. They’re more like community centers with computers and teen areas and such.�
Don’t go to Palm Harbor Florida with your mobile
The staff at Palm Harbor Library has little business card sized notes that they hand to people using their mobile phones in the library. There are several signs posted that note that mobile phone use is prohibited.
Use your cell phone, look at indecent pictures and the reference staff will come down like a shock and awe campaign. I have wonderful co-workers.
The annoying and the annoyed
I’ve found that posting signs and “suggesting” doesn’t work for many people. You’ve got to be a pain in the buttocks in order for them to get the point that, yes, cell phones are prohibited. Even if that means standing there repeating, “Please take that outside” for five minutes until the person finally gets annoyed with you and does what you ask.
Our library is very much a community center, but we don’t allow cell phones. The “customized” ringing, I think, is more disruptive than people talking in a regular tone of voice, or YAs laughing or children crying… Especially when it’s the theme from “The Godfather” blasting throughout (boy, it was intimidating to tell that guy to take it outside!)
Re:The annoying and the annoyed
We have signs and suggestions that work for most people in the library and for others we take a more direct approach “Sir/Ma’am, if you want to continue that conversation you’ll need to take it into the lobby” and indicate the sign that is usually sitting right above their heads someplace. Anyone who is contentious is forwarded to the assistant director or the director since we’re pretty much on one mind on this. It’s not the talking that is quite the issue, it’s the fact that people at the computers near the talkers [where these problems normally happen] can’t move someplace else where it’s quieter. We have the same policy for people having loud extended conversations with people sitting next to them as well. We’ve has somewhat less luck with the ringing thing [and have had people testing out new ringtones in the library] but usually just say the same thing “you’ll need to take that outside if you can’t shut the ringer off or turn it down.” I feel that saying it this way gives people an option [you can turn it off OR go outside] which can sometimes keep them from getting hostile.
That said, if someone is having a quiet conversation in an empty library, I usually won’t say anything to them at all, relying on patrons letting me know if there’s someone disturbbing them, which is usually our general yardstick for when to talk to a disruptive patron unless they’re really out of line.
Unreal
By now you would think that I wouldn’t be surprised, but I’m continually amazed at the rudeness of people. I used to have a cell phone, but I had the decency to turn it off in public places. Since ditching the phone I’ve become even more aware of how intrusive the devices are. The notion that anyone in the world who can dial your number is more important than the person in your vicinity is a sad commentary on our priorities.
Re:Unreal
Hear hear. I kind of wish they had never been invented. Marshall McLuhan was definitely prophetic with his “the medium is the message” in regard to cell-phones.