[Publib] Adults in Children's Areas

[Molly Wms]

Hi Diane,

I hope my local library doesn't have a similar policy -- I like to read 
picture books and give them as gifts to nephews, nieces, friends, 
friends' kids, etc., and I use the library as the place to read all the 
picture books I've heard about and might want to buy for me or someone 
else. I don't have a kid to bring with me but so far no one has said 
anything.

There's only one bathroom in our library (which is one of the largest 
libraries in our county, but probably not large by most standards), for 
kids and adults alike (one men's, one women's), but in your case, could 
the dev. dis. adults use the adult bathroom if they need it?

Maybe having the dev. dis. adults and the kids intermixing could be seen 
as a way for each to learn about the other population? For the kids to 
learn how dev. dis. adults behave, and the dev. dis. adults to learn (or 
remember) how kids behave?

Part of what attracts me to the idea of a _public_ library is the mixing 
of generations, genders, ability levels, races, education levels, etc., 
not the separation of them. I understand the fear of pedophiles hanging 
out in the kids' room, but couldn't there be language in the policy to 
address proper and improper _behaviours_ instead of whole classes of 
people?

~ Molly Wms.

-- 
Molly Williams
Beyond Rivalry: http://beyondrivalry.blogspirit.com/
Worth Reading Blog: http://librarybooklists.org/wordpress/
Library Booklists: http://librarybooklists.org Maine Writers Index: 
http://www.waterborolibrary.org/MWI/MWI_home.php




Long, Diane wrote:
>
> We have a policy that states adults are not allowed in the children’s 
> areas of our libraries unless they are a teacher, a parent, or 
> accompanied by a child (unaccompanied adults are asked their purpose 
> for being in that section).
>
> A group of developmentally disabled adults arrived and had an adult 
> with them; they are unable to use the adult collection. However, since 
> they are chronologically adults they were asked to leave, generating a 
> complaint by a caregiver.
>
> There are other issues, in addition to their ages, that concern the 
> Children’s staff. The individuals, because of their disabilities, do 
> strange things that tend to frighten children, the men are large and 
> loom (by accident, not on purpose) over the children, and then there 
> is the issue at of them using the little children’s restroom in the 
> Children’s area (clearly forbidden by the last paragraph in the Policy).
>
> Staff feel that the way the Policy is currently written that an adult 
> can simply pick up a child’s collection item and say they are using it 
> and then be eligible to use the area under the “letter” of the policy, 
> never mind the spirit of the policy. We don’t want to prevent an adult 
> with a legitimate reason to access the collection (a 
> parent/guardian/grandparent with a sick or otherwise engaged child, a 
> student taking a child’s literature class, a non-library staffer 
> wandering about on “busman’s holiday,” etc., etc.).
>
> Supervisory staff are equally divided about the issue of allowing 
> adults in the area.
>
> How do you handle this, especially with developmentally disabled 
> adults? We are particularly interested in hearing from large public 
> libraries.
>
> Thanks very much.
>
> Diane Long
>
> Collection Development Supervisor
>
> Aurora Public Library
>
> 14949 E. Alameda Pkwy.
>
> Aurora, CO 80012
>
> 303-739-6596
>
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>