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Please be considerate...
Last June, I wrote about attending a session at a large library conference which concerned dealing with objectionable behaviour in the library. In that column, I said “you’ll be happy to know that Whistler’s problems in this area are so minuscule compared to the librarians who were speaking that I was almost embarrassed to be there.” I wish I could say I still feel that way. I much prefer writing about the many positive aspects of the Whistler Public Library. However, the fact is that we have seen a marked increase in the incidence of unacceptable behaviours in the library. It has gone so far that we have had to call the RCMP 6 times in the last 6 weeks.
In public libraries, we consider it a basic human right to access information. We do not like to exclude anyone from entering and using the library, or restricting borrowing privileges. As a matter of course, this leads to the presence of individuals that some people may find difficult to be around. Some of these people may not communicate well, either because they don’t have good English skills or because of a developmental delay or mental health issue. Some of these people may nod off, because they don’t have a safe and/or warm place to sleep at night. Some of these people might smell bad to my nose or yours.
We also have a noise problem in the library. As beautiful as the building is, it does not have any acoustical features that help mitigate the transfer of noise. Both staff and patrons’ voices travel far and wide. Children’s voices, especially, echo through the entire building, even when they are in Marmot Meadows, the designated children’s area. Recently, when I asked a patron to conduct his cell phone call out in the lobby, he responded with the suggestion that if he couldn’t bring his cell phone into the library, then parents should be prohibited from bringing their children in as well. They produce more noise than he does, he said.
The library Board of Trustees has just approved a revised Patron Conduct policy. It states that, among other things, the following activities are prohibited:
Drinking any alcoholic beverage (including so-called “nonalcoholic” beers or wines); appearing to be drunk or under the influence of drugs in the opinion of library staff; using a cell phone; excessive noise or disorderly behaviour; abusive, obscene or threatening language or behaviour; and eating in the library. We had one gentleman set a table with dishes and sit down to a full dinner at a table in the children’s area. We’ve had numerous occasions where people have been drinking beer, either right out of the can or from a plastic water bottle. I’ve had to escort people who were so drunk they could barely stand, let alone walk, out of the building.
Please consider your fellow patrons when you are in the library. If you see patrons behaving oddly or doing something they shouldn’t, please don’t approach them yourself – report them to a library staff member. We are doing our best to make the library an enjoyable place for everyone.
Lauren Stara, Library Director