Thursday, September 23, 2010

Patron behavior and staff expectations...

Once again I've waited too long to post something new, and my brain is bubbling with toomuchtosay and no real coherent way to let it all out so I'm going to do my best here, but hope (just a little bit) that no one really reads this (I'm pretty confident no one does) because I'm not sure any of it will make sense.

The first issue I'd like to address is Patron Conduct. It is a bit sad that a public place has to create rules or guidelines or policies that outline expected behavior these days, but we do. It is not uncommon to have folks in libraries who enjoy looking at porn, or speaking loudly/rudely to staff or other patrons. It is not uncommon to encounter the angry patron, or worse- the angry and mentally ill patron. It is not uncommon to have disputes over money, or books, or other people, or the way things are kept/run/handled, etc. In short, you can't make everyone happy- and it is inevitable that people will eventually be unhappy at some point, and how you handle that will reflect upon the reputation of the organization.

It starts to get dodgy when patrons take things into their own hands, and start making suggestions (or cussing out) other patrons or God forbid have altercations that escalate into violence or even moderate rough-housing but it happens it happens it happens and I can't lie, at times it is downright amusing when you find out WHY it happened. It puts librarians and public service staff in the role of referee.

I thought this was common knowledge. I thought everyone knew that, as a public institution, our JOB is to serve the public- all of them, equally, regardless of their situation, scent, appearance, abilities, income, or whatever- ALL PEOPLE EQUAL. This was the part of library science that intrigued me the most. Where else is everyone treated equally? You can't walk into starbucks and pilfer their WiFi without buying an iced tea. In the library you can come in, and just BE- and no one will bother you, so long as you're behaving and not disrupting anyone else. Isn't that beautiful? I think it's amazing.

It's been increasingly clear to me that not everyone has the same view regarding who we serve, or how we should serve them. A recent incident where I work has brought me to disagree with nearly everyone there...and I can hardly fault them for their opinions, as (once again) they're just doing what they've always done. However: I feel that someone needs to send out a memo that we do NOT just serve our "service district". We serve the public. The public includes the homeless. It includes the people who come in on the bus-line. It includes those with special needs, it includes the elderly. It includes everyone. EVERYone. Everyone gets the same treatment. And that treatment should be delivered with genuine kindness if possible.

Basically, I think part of this problem that we've had with some patron interactions could be somewhat resolved with guidelines or rules for expectations of behavior while using library materials and being on library property. Don't masturbate, start fires, scream, run, hit other people, etc. It's sad that it needs to be said, but I think it could help give the staff a leg to stand on should they have to intervene and ask someone politely to please STOP, or kindly leave the premises.

We're getting there. It's being worked on, and again it will require patience so we have the right set of rules and expectations, and everyone is on the same page.

I guess I've grown to expect crazy stuff to happen at the library. Just like crazy stuff happens at the BMV and at the public parks. They're public places. The public is crazy. But some people haven't had to experience the crazy because any behavior that was deemed as inappropriate by ONE INDIVIDUAL would lead to a patron being banned. Go away, patron- your mistake cannot be forgiven, you should just know better than to....blah blah blah.

And in some regards, I get that. People in general should be able to control themselves, be polite, or at the very least civil in public. But that never happens ALL the time.

ANYhow, none of this probably makes any sense. All I'm saying is, I really hope that the people I work with can begin to understand the nature of their jobs and what they're expected to do, who they're expected to work with and how they're expected to serve the public. Patrons are rude, unfriendly and can be downright mean and scary. I thought that was a given with the job description and that was why we all chose this field.

I think a good set of rules might be a good segue into what is OK and not OK to advise patrons to do. I think it could lead to a more clear cut understanding that- yea, you're going to have to put up with some shit. Be a duck, let it roll off your back. Grow a thick skin and move on. Treat everyone equally.

Baby steps...baby steps...baby steps...

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