I just got some comments from a former co-worker of mine: the "Other Ellen." So, Hello Other Ellen! It's so good to hear from you!
And one more quick response to Vieve's comment on blogging....I think having guidelines about your blog is a good idea. I don't really have that. I try to be careful about what I say. I try not to give out too many personal details. But ultimately, I just want to write whatever I'm feeling that day.
So, Other Ellen sent me a link to an article about a library that has decided to close its doors from 2:45-5pm every day. The prime "teens invading the library after school" hours. Now, we had this problem at my former library. And anyone who works in a library will tell you that we really want kids and teens to use the library. Really. We spent loads of money and time working on programming for these groups and developing collections that would be of interest to them. However, the teens and preteens also tended to cause a lot of problems. Many of them simply hung out at the library with no particular purpose. They would graffiti, yell, play chase and even make-out in the stacks. They would often be rude and confrontational with staff and sometimes with other patrons. We tried creating rules and guidelines and working with them but the problems continue. This one library has decided not to deal with it anymore. And it's really sad. Where will those kids go? But then again, it's a library, not a rec center. What do you think?
Here is the link to the article:
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1 comment:
wow, that is a bit odd. although, I don't actually have time to read the whole article, I must say, what if there are kids who have legit library needs? Like homework or help with homework? And no parents at home to help with that stuff? That seems like it could cause trouble. I know our school library (in high school) closed so early, like 30 minutes after school ended, if you had real work to do you had to go to the public library.
Maybe there's a better way to do it - some sort of three strikes you're out with a bouncer at the door? I don't know. It just seems unfair to hardworking kids.
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