[Publib] Banning students from libraries

[Mary Soucie]

Judy,
I can't imagine trying to train staff to enforce this policy. As the
article mentioned, there are people that look younger than their age. I
can't imagine this will stay for long w/o becoming either a P.R.
nightmare and/or losing patrons.
 
As you mentioned, there are other reasons for kids to be in the library
during the day. At our HS, we have a select number of kids that attend
classes at the local community college their senior year. They were
often in the library during the day after they got back from the
college.
 
Good luck to this library with this policy. It's not one I would want to
introduce and recommend to our board.

Mary
 
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
 
My blog: http://www.wplddirector.blogspot.com
<http://www.wplddirector.blogspot.com/> 
 
IM me:
Yahoo: wplddirector  
AIM: wplddirector
 
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 Judy Anderson
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 2:45 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Banning students from libraries


Kennewick, WA has instituted a policy of banning students during school
hours. This includes students who used to come there on their lunch
hour. If anyone appears to be school age, they are carded. I wonder what
happens if it's a young appearing person who doesn't have ID? Should
libraries play the role of truancy officers? What about home-schooled
kids, or kids in private schools on other schedules? I remember one kid
who was out of school to help his grandfather walk to the doctor. While
he was at the doctor, the kid dropped in at the next door library. Lots
of reasons for a kid going to the library during the school day. The
school district said that the students should be able to find what they
need at their library. I don't know what their libraries are like, but I
do know that a lot of schools don't have librarians any more; they are
often run by aides who have no training. And I do know that at the
public libraries I've worked at, a lot of students said they came there
because the schools didn't have anything.

They even have cops at the door turning kids away. Is that what we want
for our libraries?

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/299270.html




Judy Anderson
Washington 

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