[Publib] Library Closing for "after school hours"

[Mary Donley]

A few years ago, I was mgr. of a branch library right across the
sidewalk from a middle school.  I discovered that many of the
students who attended the school were not from the district
so could not take the bus home at the end of the day.  I went
to Wal-Mart and bought 2 of those big balls (they look like a
medicine ball but much lighter weight).  There was a grassy area
outside and some kids took the balls outside to play when it
wasn't too hot.  I also started a teen club with about 4 girls.
The girls had been screaming outside the front door.  I took them
down the steps toward the back of the bldg. and did some "screaming"
with them.  They thought I was cool after that.  We read some YA books
such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  I also bought playing
cards, scrabble and some other games.  I did have to call the police
a few times but most were good kids, just rambunctious!  This is the
age where they really want/need attention more than any other age.
As a teacher or librarian, you can make the difference in their lives and
make a library friend for life.  

Just my 2 cents,

Mary Donley
McAllen, TX

"Shaw, Matthew M" <shawmm at forsyth.cc> wrote: We have a branch that opened about a dozen years ago next to a middle
school. For the first few years, the branch experienced many of the
problems others have described. The present manager was very proactive
when he came on board and set up meetings with school teachers and
officials to exchange concerns and to establish a dialog. That seems to
have helped a lot. A security guard was also hired.

Still, staff have learned that they must move their cars from the staff
parking area behind the building because they were easy targets for
vandalism.

Working with young people can be very challenging but also can be quite
rewarding.

Matt Shaw



Community Libraries and Outreach Services

Forsyth County Public Library

660 West Fifth Street

Winston-Salem, NC 27101

(336) 703-2978

shawmm at forsythlibrary.org


-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of myp_chan at yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 10:41 AM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Library Closing for "after school hours"

--- James Casey  wrote:
> Although Oak Lawn is a village of 55,000, I have also heard the
> refrain from staff and patrons
"parents don't care and the police put these
> problems low on their list of priorities."  Those of us who are
> Library administrators need to try to
convince the police to move the priority higher up.

I work in a city of 76,000 and the library is next door to the high
school. We certainly get very busy during after-school hours, and it can
get very rowdy and even disruptive. But we have a security guard who
arrives at around 2:30 every day and stays until we close at 9pm. Did
the library in Maplewood have a security guard? From the article it
doesn't sound like it, but I would think that's an obvious way to handle
this type of problem. I know in my city the police force is understaffed
and probably couldn't be pressured to make the library a priority if
they wanted to.

Closing the library so students won't come in sounds like discrimination
to me. Alienating an entire age group doesn't bode well for the future
when those kids become taxpayers and voters. Will they be supportive of
the library then? I sure wouldn't.

Linda



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