The class I am currently taking is Resources and Services for Persons with Disabilities. We had a question posed to us last week that garnered quite a bit of discussion from the library world point of view and I really wanted to know what the patron point of view would be. So I pose the same scenario to you and would love to hear your honest thoughts.
A patron arrives when the library opens with what appears to be all of his earthly possessions, and he takes them with him when he leaves when the library closes. Although it appears that he uses the restroom to wash his face and rinse out some clothes, his aroma is bothersome. He reads the newspaper and uses other library resources for about half the day, and sleeps the rest of the time. What would you do?
BIG CHANGES AFOOT.
9 years ago
It is called a 'public' library for a reason. Is he snoring? I would wake him up. Is he loud? I would ask him to use an inside voice? Is he scaring little kids? I would ask him to stay in the adult sections unless he has a child with him,...ah but what if he can only read on the level of a child? Then I would let him know he scares little kids and could he please stop with the...whatever the complaint is...His very presence in a public place is not cause to do anything other than welcome him to the facility. If you don't want him washing his clothes in the restrooms then 1)someone should have to see him, not just guess that he's doing that and 2) post a sign that washing of clothes is prohibited (it would also be a public service if the library staff, a volunteer, or someone who checks into the library once in a while, would take his clothes to a laundromat for him while he's napping. This might fall under a group called "Friends of the Library"). Have we become such snobs that we deny the very basic use of public facilities to those who have least of the countries bounty? Oh my, you shouldn't have gotten me started on this. The attitude of the staff will spill over and become the attitudes of the public. We have become a very selfish culture and I for one decry this...with a passion. But thanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteOh no, I'm glad I got you started. I really want to know what others think. After all, the topic has come up many times in the library world and is usually in conjunction with some other patron's complaints so I wanted to know what more people thought.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
I would dare say that the cell phones and loud conversations are more bothersome than a smell, of which I could move away from more easily than a loud voice. They call it public library for a reason. Safety is one thing, but mere inconvenience is another.
ReplyDeleteCell phone conversations can be pretty annoying. Some libraries have cell phone use policies others don't. It is interesting that many who don't have cell policies DO have smell policies.
ReplyDeleteSo consider this. Would you be upset if the library with a smell policy asked you to leave because your perfume was bothering others?