There's been a lot of chatter in all the library blogs about wanting to get teens into the library. I hope they all start talking about this story and the terrible way the librarians are trying to keep some teens out of their library. This is exactly the sort of un-Library Five-O attitude that will destroy American libraries by eliminating the vital teen element.
According to the story, a "16-YEAR-OLD girl has been given a two-year Anti-Social Behaviour Order after waging a campaign of terror against staff at a library."
"Campaign of terror"? This is pretty strong stuff. What was she trying to do? Was it gaming? Was she trying to update her Myspace page? Nope.
"The teenager and her gang targeted the area around the Longfield Suite, Prestwich, and Prestwich Library over a nine-month period."
That's a pretty impressive 16-year-old girl to have a "gang." When I was that age they were called cliques. I was never in the most popular one, which is probably why I'm a librarian today.
And what sort of targeting did she do? Well, "she forced her way into the building despite being banned."
But why was she banned?
"The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, sat in the children's section of the library using obscene language and causing a nuisance. She also badly damaged the security shutters."
To me, she just seems like a bold and venturesome young lady. What's wrong with sitting in the children's section and using obscene language? Isn't that just expressing her intellectual freedom? Shame on these Lancashire librarians for trying to censor the youth of today!
And aren't security shutters are just there to keep people away from their information? They're just another barrier the Man sets up to keep us in our place and maybe they should be badly damaged!
Oh, and then it seems she was doing some stalking as well. "When the girl began to follow staff home, they requested extra security, at a cost of £2,500." She was probably just desparate to hang out with the cool librarians. After all, she's only human. And then they had to go and hire more security.
What they should have done, of course, was hire a special obscene-language librarian to coach the girl in the finer points of obscenity. But no, these librarians probably just don't like teenagers.
About Me
- AL
- The Annoyed Librarian is possibly the most successful, respected, and desirable librarian of her generation. She has no other interest than to bring her wit and wisdom to the huddled librarian masses yearning to breathe free. The Annoyed Librarian is a free spirit and you are lucky to have her.
6 comments:
Just banned for two years, and she came back? That's perseverance right there. Anyhow, I would love to have long term bans like that for some people, teens or otherwise. Actually, some adults are just as bad, if not worse. In lieu of that, I guess an obscenity librarian might work (how do I get that job?).
Oh, we can and do ban people indefinitely at my library; staff have access to a page of banned citizens, and the list breaks up into two main classes: young black males (usually for fighting or other disorderly conduct) and middle-aged white guys (usually for porno (and what too frequently comes along with the porno (i.e. jackin' it))).
Of course there are plenty of others for other offenses.
Someone please remind me not to touch the keyboards at my public library after the middle-aged white guys have been there.
Kids are so original these days. Cursing and stalking is such old hat. I heard that killing people with AK 47s is the way to go, especially if you wear a black trench coat.
soren_faust
I can not believe you are making light of how much mayhem one truly lousy customer can cause. But you are called the "Annoyed Librarian" not the "Homicidal Had-It-Up-To-Here Librarian"
I am glad you have no idea what the heck I might be talking about, and I wish you continued good fortune.
listern yeh i am hayley n yano wt if u believe tha shit tha papers put bwt me u believe tht y the fuk wud i wana follow sum angin librarian ome at all i got beta fings tu b duin i aint tht sad n damagin tha shuttas dnt make me laff ha i was jus lukin on google n i found this shit bwt me is pritty funi thow how sad ya lives r tht u av tu talk bwts meh haha ya reali must av bin geeks aint yas got m8s or sumat lyk ya av tu cum on ere n spk so wt if i chilled in tha village n yh i av bin bk there n breached it bare tymz n wt ya get cort n tht is it av bin on tag 2 tymz since thn n e way laters taters lol
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