Comments on: One college library is handing these fancy cards out to students. What do you think?

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:29:10 +0000

I believe the cards are a way of trying to be creative. I work in an academic library and we are having much trouble keeping the noise level down. We have had students leave because they cannot study – and we do have Group Quiet Study Rooms. We haven’t found the answer yet either. Don’t want to be shhhh’ing people. But, it seems when you draw a line, people step over it. Drinks allowed becomes cardboard trays of Dunkin Donuts coffee being carried in…you get the point. The carpets and furniture are starting to look pretty bad. I think we need to be clear, consistent and persistent about enforcing loudness.

By: No food, No drinks and Be quiet!! basic rules in a library?? « Librarians in Trouble

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:27:20 +0000

[...] have been many time lost, but today I would like to comment a post in “Tame the Web” about rules in the [...]

By: Lee LeBlanc

Lee LeBlanc — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:19:33 +0000

it’s hard to say what it really is. Other questions to view this with:

Why does the space, (the actual physical layout), require signs?

Why do the users of the space, (all the people including staff, patrons, visitors, etc…) have conflicting views about how the space is used?

Questions, queries, whatevers. Start here and you can eliminate a lot of signs.

By: Leah

Leah — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:55:11 +0000

I don’t really think is for the other students…but for the librarians and most likely maintenance staff. I work in an academic library where we do ask people to keep their voices down but we are food and drink friendly. That way people feel comfortable to spend all day at my library instead of Starbucks or even the Law School Café.

I also find handing cards to people somewhat passive aggressive. If you have rules and policies, just enforce them. Tell people. Make good signage. No need to slip little messages to folks.

By: rm

rm — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:55:35 +0000

Do you really think patrons read posted library signs or cards given to them by library personnel?

By: JennieD

JennieD — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:04:03 +0000

This is a joke, right? As someone in charge of both signage and publications at my university library, I’m appalled at both the content and the resources spent on such a negative message.

By: Old Fogey

Old Fogey — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:09:14 +0000

I apologize for the mistakes in the prior post – it just got me so riled up that I did not proofread carefully enough.

By: Old Fogey

Old Fogey — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:07:54 +0000

I like having staff with a welcoming knowledgeable demeanor , but I -do– have a problem with people begin unwilling to stop eating long enough to go to the library. That’s why I chose the sobriquet…of what I am. I have wasted so much time cleaning off computers which has food spilled on them, cleaning up and trying to preserve valuable published works that someone just could not use with chowing down, etc.

If you want to act as if you are at home, stay home. This is a professional workplace, not a living room. If that means we get less users then so be it. I agree with poster AbbyC. In 5 or 10 years, will we provide beds for people who want to read in bed? Geez.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:21:09 +0000

Yeah, I don’t get why some libraries, assuming they are bigger than most people’s living rooms, don’t get that you can have both quiet and collaborative spaces.

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:44:55 +0000

Two “No’s” and a “Be” … Uggghhhh! I think they should stress the positives and set aside a “quiet” area for serious research/study.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:12:14 +0000

Bad. This does not create a welcoming and positive environment. Perpetuates bad library and librarian stereotypes, too.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:07:26 +0000

It is true that libraries should be clean and (sometimes) quiet spaces, but there are other ways of sharing the message.

My library is in the process of creating posters and handouts for our revised policy and I believe we’re trying to focus on the positive. e.g. “We value a clean environment”.

By: asphalt

asphalt — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:20:49 +0000

i hate ‘don’t’ signs. this one in particular makes me want tomake a special effort to hang out at the circ desk with a giant slushy.

By: Joel

Joel — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:36:03 +0000

How about just handing out cards that say, “You are in a library.” Isn’t the rest implicit?

By: Debbie Kent

Debbie Kent — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:34:23 +0000

Study areas are for collaboration between students, brainstorming…quiet??? As far as food and drink, as long as drink has a cap and food contained, what’s the problem? I agree with previous post “a lot of no”…