Tame The Web

Via the South Bend Tribune and a bunch of folks who emailed me:

You can no longer use MySpace, Facebook or other “social networking sites” at Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library.

Fights, lewd language and cars being blocked in the parking lot by teenagers are among the problems Director Dave Eisen said have plagued the downtown library lately.

He told library board members that adults have complained about not feeling safe at the library. Eisen and his staff believe the teenagers are there to use MySpace, Facebook and other social sites.

Oh boy. This is my hometown library. It saddens me that the space between “social networking sites” to “not feeling safe” seems so short. The article notes the ban is probably working:

It might have worked, as there were few teenagers going to the computer room by 3:30 p.m. Friday, a half hour after it normally begins to fill up. There were few teenagers even coming in to the computer room at the library.

I wonder where the teens will go? Maybe to SJCPL, which has wifi and computers at all locations.  I wonder how the library will be perceived in a few years as these young people grow up, graduate Mishawaka High and begin the next chapter of their lives. Will they remember the library later? Will they care about it? If you remember, this is where I got my first library card. Will they bring their kids? Will they rather go to the Panera, Starbucks, Martins Supermarkets (which has free wifi), the Info Commons at IUSB, etc.

Shouldn’t the library be participating in offering access to these spaces while actively intervening and educating these digital citizens?

I reminded of Maplewood. It’s a similar thing really: locking the doors of the library or blocking access to sites. Are there alternatives? I think there are but it depends so much on the library. I’d take a long look at services to teens at the library. Isn’t this a perfect time for engagement and education? I know some libraries have been successful with “Rock my MySpace” classes for teens while parents get “Social Networking & Your Kids” style learning opportunities. I’d love to hear what the teen librarians have done at MPL – have there been classes? Is there a teen advisory board?

I think I have some questions about this ban as well. Are the sites blocked via wifi too? Is it just teens or everyone? I communicate with my students via Facebook and just joined the Dominican group there. Could I check in on my students via Facebook if I happened to be at the library? I’m also wondering about sites like Flickr. What if I was home for a few days and my Comcast went down? Would I be able to upload pics to Flickr at MPL? Or maybe I could just head to Panera. The teens, however, might not have a laptop to take to Panera.

My former employer, the SJCPL is mentioned:

Don Napoli, director of the St. Joseph County Public Library, said the staff there has discussed problems with teenagers but decided to try to get them into the library instead of trying to get them to leave.

“They do cause problems,” he said. “But that’s life.”

Amen. I think my heart would break a little if a library system so progressive as SJCPL banned access to social sites.

I’d love some feedback and inspiration here to help me understand. What has worked for you, TTW readers, when encountering young people who cause “all kinds of disturbances” as Mishawaka Public Library Director David Eisen states. Have you banned and blocked? Have you intervened and educated? Please share.

And if anyone from Mishawaka Public Library can offer more insight, please do.

Further reading for Mishawaka Public Library folk: http://www.librarycrunch.com/2007/01/responding_to_teens.html

Update — see also:

A Musical Interpretation of this post

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelsphotos/2352012465/

http://www.web2learning.net/archives/1643

http://librarychicken.blogspot.com/2008/03/public-library-bans-myspace-facebook.html

http://lauraslibraryblog.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/if-a-problem-comes-along-you-must-ban-it/

http://mryknx.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/mishawaka-public-intent-to-ban-myspace-or-yas/

http://www.librarian.net/stax/2266/why-should-libraries-be-socially-networking/

An Aussie Librarian writes:

I was dismayed to read your post ‘Lock the Doors’ regarding the library who have decided to close for part of the day, due to youth violence and inappropriate behaviour. I am glad that the community is taking a role to keep the library open. These types of problems with youth are by no means limited to the USA and we have experienced very similar here in Australia. We have a success story You may want to share with readers of TTW.

And incase you are interested, the full list of nominations for the Library Innovation Awards are available here: http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1152 so you can see they were up against some strong competition.

Thanks Aussie for the link. The report outlines what the folks did to work with the young people, establish ground rules and move forward. There are some wonderful illustrations of the signage developed with the librarians and teens as well. It reminds me of the rules of the Library Loft at PLCMC. If your library is dealing with similar issues, this might be good reading for a staff meeting or planning/action group.

I’m a tad dumb-founded over this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/nyregion/02library.html?ex=1168405200&en=954c51bc14b566e8&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Every afternoon at Maplewood Middle School’s final bell, dozens of students pour across Baker Street to the public library. Some study quietly. The Baker Street library in Maplewood, N.J., near a middle school, will soon close from 2:45 to 5 p.m. Others, library officials say, fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day. As a result, starting on Jan. 16, the Maplewood Memorial Library will be closing its two buildings on weekdays from 2:45 to 5 p.m., until further notice.

Jessamyn links to the library’s announcement here.

And Michael Casey weighs in with his experiences and I couldn’t agree more:

None of this has been easy or inexpensive. Security guards and off-duty police officers costs money, as do extra staff. The time to plan and present teen programs is also not without a cost. But the return on this investment has been remarkable. The numbers of incidents in the branch are down. Customer comments are far more positive and, perhaps most importantly, the community understands and approves of the library’s efforts because the community has been made an integral part of the solution. While it is never possible to please everyone all of the time, the efforts being made in Dacula are showing very real and positive results. I hope other libraries facing such issues can find the resources to address their teen problems without resorting to closing their doors.

I think we’ll see this one RIPPLE across the Biblioblogosphere like crazy in the next few days.

I’m dumbfounded because things like this suprise me. I sometimes say “I live in a bubble” and here it’s most true. I just can’t imagine circumstances that would lead to a library actually deciding to close its doors against young users when, as Michael Casey points out, security guards can be hired etc. My views on looking at library staffing are really coming clearer to me now: do we need 3 people staffing a public library reference desk..and other librarians at other desks when statistics and channels for access are changing? How about evaluating usuage patterns and ROIs for those desks/service points and reallocate bodies and positions in newer ways that suit what’s happening now? How about better programs and engaging activities that fit with our generation of content-creators?

I think in doing this they’ve lost those young people forever — and maybe that’s the goal — but what message are they sending to future users as well? I know only what I read so I can’t say for sure what it’s like at that library but it breals my heart for the future of library service in that town.