[Publib] Adults in Children's Areas

[King, Jamie]

Diana,

 

I wholeheartedly share Paul's discomfort with your library's policy on
this issue.  I'd love to hear from others who have a similar one, if
there are that many.  There are frequently times when an item I want is
in the children's section, but I don't have a kid to bring along.  And
I'm very glad I don't get accosted and asked what I'm doing there at
those times.  Just curious, do you enforce this policy as forcefully
against women as against men?  I'm very surprised you haven't gotten
negative reaction from patrons if it is enforced consistently.  It seems
strange to me that your staff would even be comfortable asking an adult
who happens to be unaccompanied by a child, what they're doing there.

 

Regarding the other issue, I like Sue Kamm's suggestion of taking books
from the children's area to another part of the library and reading
there.  Or could they come at times when the library is less busy?  I
would try talking to the person who brings them and see if you can work
something out.  They might not even realize there's a problem.

 

 

Jamie King

Cataloging Services

Follett Library Resources

McHenry, IL

 

 

 

Paul Ericsson:


1) I do not know how a policy that restricts entire classes of persons
from using a public library would ever get passed by a City Attorney.
Did the City's legal council really approve this?  

2) And on a practical library services level, who would want to restrict
any adult that has an interest in reading children's literature from
using the children's department? When answering so-called "legitimate"
reference questions from the adult reference desk, I will always consult
the children's collection for works that have generous illustrations and
for a variety of other reasons.

5) If the concern is protecting children from adults that could
potentially molest or stalk them, than the policy needs to articulate
specific behaviors that are the problem. Preventing entire classes of
people (all adults) from using the department is wildly over-restrictive
and makes wildly invalid assumptions. 


Diana Long:

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. 

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