[Publib] staff children in library

[Mary Soucie]

I think that's an excellently worded policy statement. As we hire more
staff with kids, we may need to look into this. Although my son does
come into my office if he's come into the library when I'm not expecting
him. His friends will come with him also. Of course, I had another one
of our young library patrons come up today just to say hello. It's good
to be proactive though and adopt a policy before you need it.
 
Mary J. Soucie, MLIS
Library Director
Wilmington Public Library District
Visit the world @ your library(tm)
201 S Kankakee St
Wilmington IL 60481
(815) 476-2834
mjsoucie at wilmingtonlibrary.org
 
Wilmington Public Library District is committed to providing excellent
comprehensive service to its community.
 
 

________________________________

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Wynita Worley
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 11:50 AM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] staff children in library



Oh boy is this a big issue. The situation depends on the conduct of the
employee and the children. Last year my library created a policy on this
to accommodate a single mother who worked for us. Needless to say, she
didn't follow the policy, her children distracted her from her job and
annoyed other staff members, and the employee finally quit. I know the
previous director and I were relieved. These two girls in question were
not bad or mean children ( I think they were 3rd and 5th graders), they
were simply undisciplined. When they were here, they would not sit still
and were literally running all over the library (or skating in those
roller shoes). We tried distracting them with movies when our community
room was not used, but they still wouldn't stay put. They would be at
the desk hanging onto their mother or following our teenage pages around
while they were working or approaching other staff members to say they
were bored. When they weren't doing that, their mother was constantly
leaving the desk to check on them or catering to their needs. 

 

However, I will say that we still have another employee who brings her
son to work sometimes until her husband can pick him up. He is
absolutely the quietest, most well-behaved nine-year-old I have met and
we don't mind him being here. He and his mother follow the policy as
follows:

 

"An employee's school-age children may be at the library while the
parent is working. However, during scheduled work time the employee's
first priority must be his/her job. Children must stay in library's
public areas and must abide by rules governing all other customers. They
should be "invisible" to other customers, meaning that no one would
recognize that they are an employee's children. Employees may not bring
a preschool child, or any older child with the needs normally associated
with a preschooler, to the library with the intent that the employee
will  mind the child during work time."

 

 

 

Wynita Worley

Public Services Librarian

Grant County Public Library 

201 Barnes Rd.

Williamstown, KY 41097

w.worley at fuse.net

859-824-2080

 

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