[Publib] a fresh, new nugget for people to chew on about

[Sue Kamm]

It's not only for children's protection that we ask parents to supervise
their child. It's also a behavior issue with children and teens.  

I work in a multi-story building.  Don't get me started on the building's
design (light wells, a tile-floor atrium open to the second and third
floors, non-existent sightlines from staffed desks on all floors), which
contributes to the noise and bad behavior by young people.  It doesn't help
that we're the filling in a school sandwich, with a high school across the
street to the south and a middle school across the street to the north. 
Add that to a couple of elementary schools and nearby private schools, and
you can understand the potential for misbehavior.  Our public elevators are
frequently mistaken for a playground.  Kids also yell down the light wells
to their friends, and chase one another through the library.  

I will blame parents for their children's bad behavior when the child has
obviously not been taught how to act in a public place.  I will also blame
the parent of an infant who is screaming his/her head off while the parent
is apparently oblivious to the commotion.  

While sending a child of seven or eight to the library may be okay in a
small or rural area, that is not the case in many urban libraries. We are
only asking parents to take responsibility for their children.

Your friendly neighborhood CyberGoddess and ALA Councilor at Large, 
Sue Kamm
Email: suekamm[at]mindspring.com
Inglewood/Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Dodgers Truest of the Blue, 2000
Visit my blog:  http://suekamm.blogspot.com
"I'm not comfortable being preachy, but more people need to start spending
as much time in the library as they do on the basketball court."  -- Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar