I wrote my first essay today. It's due tomorrow. I'm actually okay with it, and didn't think it went too badly.

I am mad at my town library. I have been studying there lately, b/c I don't have a study-worthy home. It's small, and kids live in it. I have no office or dedicated space of any kind. Therefore, if I want to get work done, I need to get OUT of my house. The town library also happens to be approximately 4 feet away from my kids' school (and this time, I'm NOT exaggerating), and so in the afternoon, it feels convenient. I can work right up until it's time to go get them, or, as I've done a few times, they can come to the library and do their homework in the children's section, and check in with me between trips to the park across the street.

On Saturday, my mom came to town, and I left the house to do some catch-up work in the library. I was really irritated while trying to work because people were answering their cell phones right at their tables and chatting with their callers (there are signs EVERYWHERE), and then a group of late teens or early 20-somethings came in and lounged around a table a good distance away from me, and proceeded to engage in rather high volume debates concerning social issues. they seemed pretty impassioned, articulate and intelligent. But they were in the fuckin' library - not at a bar, not at a cafe. I was not the only one who was disrupted.

I went to the reference desk to inquire as to their quiet policy. She told me that if people are shouting and running, they'll stop them, but otherwise, "Libraries aren't as quiet as they used to be. Sorry." She was unwilling to even check the situation out.

I ended up calling Beloved and begging him to bring me earplugs. Since he rocks, he did.

So today, I was working in the library. X called me while I was there, and I sent the call to the voicemail, and then went outside (in line with the policy) and called him back. At another point, I realized that I had to make a dr. appointment for E, and I again took my cell phone outside. At yet another point, a friend was stopping by the library and we went outside to have our conversation.

There were boys at a table across from me who kept walking across the library, and didn't discontinue their conversation as they got further and further away from each other - they just talked louder and louder.

There were two men who were going between a computer and a printer (very far apart from each other - at least 20 feet), and kept shouting (yes SHOUTING) to let the other know whether their document printed correctly.

Another man at a reference computer was calling women whose numbers he was getting off Craigslist personal adds from the main room.

Then, I got a call from the girls' after school program. It was 4:30, and I was concerned that something was wrong, b/c it's not the usual time for me to get questions from E asking if she can go elsewhere - I was afraid there was a problem. I answered the phone, whispered hello, and ducked into the bathroom.

Three seconds later, a woman came CHARGING into the bathroom "EXCUSE ME - CELL PHONES ARE ONLY TO BE USED OUTSIDE - GO OUTSIDE OF THE SECURITY GATES!"

My conversation consisted of 3 words. I removed it from the library area. I spoke in nothing over a whisper -- while dealing with shouting, cell phone use and other inappropriate library behavior. I was pretty angry, but said nothing, b/c I knew that the policy was to take the cell phones outside.

Once I calmed down and stopped thinking about how fun it would be to kick the woman in the shins, or to throw insults at her along the lines that if she were able to haul her ass out of the chair without maximum effort she'd be able to see what's going on in OTHER parts of the library ... I did talk to her. I told her that I was very frustrated to sit in the midst of all of the chaos that was happening 4 feet behind her, and just because I happened to take a path that crossed her line of sight, I was chased into the damned bathroom.

No wait -- I didn't say damned. My goal was to be respectful and not spiteful.

I did tell her that I was very upset that while others were flauting the policies and being very loud, I was the one who was chased into the bathroom - while being as respectful as I could considering the emergent nature of my call.

She was pretty respectful, too. I forget how I started the conversation, but it led her to say, "which door did you come in through?" which I thought was very ridiculous. I said, "what is the possible purpose of that question?" She said, "well, signs are posted at the ___ entrance" (not mine). I told her that I was well aware of the cell phone policy, and explained to her exactly why I was frustrated. She said, "well, you need to complain to the staff if people are talking above a whisper." I told her what I was told: Libraries Aren't As Quiet As They Used To Be. She was upset by that.

I am going to write a complaint, I think. I won't complain about the damned cell phone policy, b/c I like it. If I have to get yelled at b/c I'm getting a call from my kids, well, I'll get yelled at. I just wish that those who were being loud and inappropriate would also get yelled at and forced to comply with library rules. I will complain about the lack of enforcement of the rest, and how stupid and useless it makes the well-intentioned cell phone policy.

I also feel bothered because I think that if I looked either more my age, or more like a person who may have an emergency phone call from their kids' school, and less like a teenager who was scampering into the bathroom to giggle with her boyfriend on the phone - this wouldn't have happened.

Labels: bar exam, library, rude people

posted by Zuska @ 6:03 PM

1 Comments:

At Tuesday, June 12, 2007 8:30:00 PM, The Marpepps! said…

Yeah girl, get them sassy pants on!