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4/26/2008
From Lon Ponschock: Nix cell phone use at the library
A policy change must occur regarding cell phone use on the floors of the Appleton Library. When I mention this to some, they are surprised it is allowed at all. After all, the main floor of the Appleton Public Libraty (APL) is not the lobby of an airport terminal. Still, cell phone use is permitted at will on the main floor at the APL. This is not the case in many other libraries and the policy appears to be capricious and not uniform in nature.
The analogy I like to use is the notion of so and so's 'rights.' You may recall the phrase "Smoker's Rights" in the debate over limiting where smoking is permitted. You or I as a non-smoker will find such a notion absurd and in no way connected with personal freedom but rather license. The Smoker's Rights argument disallows the rights of those breathing the same air to be free of the contaminants exhaled by the smoking individual who is "exercising his rights."
Now fast forward to the library situation in which a normally quiet place, where ideas are shared, is now occupied by the repeated and insistent ring tones, followed by an inane conversation about sanitary products or some other tripe. And this in an abnormally loud voice to get through bad connections, accompanied by a little self- performance so that everyone knows the reply about this or that is 'critical.'
The rude will take advantage of a situation if not confronted. The rude understand obsequiousness, and they know they can push their luck as far as it will take them. The result is that library staff must take damage control measures-- putting out the fires of cell phone abuse which are either reported or observed-- rather than making a policy of preventive maintenance whereby the problem does not get out of control in the first place.
The fire analogy is a good one. These phone abusers are often 'moving targets' through the entire floor and so affect more than those in an immediate area.
At a recent library town hall meeting (not directly concerning the issue), the topic did come up. When I asked a question about how a coffee bar would affect sound levels and increase the permissions for unwanted cell phone activity, the presenter said that one measure taken at some libraries was to have phone booths or bubbles with no phones in them which the phone users are required to use. It is not a self-selective option for privacy, it is mandatory. And it is through no benighted idea of 'customer service' that individuals with these products are given free reign.
Something simply must be done about cell phone use and abuse at a public space like the library. Now. The simplest solution is to stop the problem before it starts: allow cell phone use only in the 'atrium' area at the entrance.
I'll remind the reader – this is not an airport lobby but the main floor of the library.
At that town hall meeting, the presenter said that ways of peaceful coexistence must be found between wireless phone users and the rest of us in public spaces. The populist argument of rights for this and that are contrary to the rights of the minority as part of the whole. You don't get to vote with your cell phone. The usage in a public space is contrary to public etiquette and is a violation of that public space shared by all.
The APL Library Board meeting is the first Tuesday of every month (May 6) at 4:30 pm; the meeting is open to the public and is a good time to bring up the issue of cell phone use. I urge you to attend this meeting as I intend to do, to bring our library more closely in line with accepted practices elsewhere.
You may also communicate with the Library via e-mail. Change will not happen unless and until enough objections are raised on the issue.
Lon Ponschock is an Appleton resident and frequent library user.
COMMENTS
Right on, following is what I emailed to the library:
The library to me is like a church. No one would think of using a cell phone in church where reflection and worship is the purpose and no one should think of using a cell phone in a library where worship of thought and research and knowledge is the purpose. Cell phone use should be restricted to area(s) where people using the library for its intended purpose are not
affected by anyone's cell phone ring tone or call. I have two cell phones and have to live by them for business. They are unfortunately a big necessary evil for me. However I would never think of using one in a library even at the risk of losing an important call. If I can make this sacrifice, so can anyone else.
dave allen (Sat Apr 26 19:40:18 2008)
Hear hear to both of you!!
Jo E. (Sat Apr 26 19:45:43)
Pending what might happen at future library board meetings my take on this is that a citizens library council should be formed as major cities have. This is a 'users group' organization.
I have no clue as to how to get this going but am ready to form a mailing list of interested parties. Please contact me if you're interested. The mailing list could be held on Gmail. I run a list on there now. Active meeting attendance at the APL would be required. I consider email too 'remote control' for these types of actions.
Lon Ponschock (Sun Apr 27 16:45:02 2008)
While I agree with his position, I would remind Mr. Ponschock that instead of declaring war on a possibly unsuspecting board of Library Trustees, it might be helpful for all if you politely requested that this item be placed on the Board's agenda and then requested that you be allowed/invited to speak to the issue. No one wins when there is hostility before the discussion has even been held. You might even take some time to present your case in proposal form using intelligent coherent, salient points.
Don't beat up on the Trustees, Sir!! Take it easy. For all you know they might be very disposed to adopting the policy you suggest. How much due diligence have you done on this topic as it pertains to the APL??
lkp (Mon Apr 28 07:50:46 2008)
Excellent comments LKP. Applies here, applies to civic discourse everywhere. How to make a difference.....
Jo E. (Mon Apr 28 8:22:15)
Not being one of the trustees, Friends of Appleton Library or others closely associated with decision making, I had to go on what I was told by the director.
There is no direct email, mail or phone that I know of to communicate with the library board.
Due diligence is hardly required of a patron. In that regard, while I know several of the board members by name, I rarely if ever see them on the frequent trips I make to the library for periodical reading.
My stance is that frequent users have a clearer picture of a deteriorating condition of the public space at the APL and that may be why policy has not been changed.
Frankly I'm embarrassed that I have to do this. In my last correspondence with the director, he told me the complaint would be forwarded to the library board. I have received no follow up from the board.
Going through channels has not gotten any results. After having urged people I know to make written complaints about cell phone use and abuse and writing out several myself I have received no contact about change in policy which would bring this library in line with others in the state.
Lon Ponschock (Mon Apr 28 18:15:03 2008)
I'm disappointed in that Mr. Ponschock has not bothered to check all his facts, and that Fox Politics appears to be supporting unsubstantiated allegations.
This item first came to my attention as a formal complaint just prior to last month's Library Board meeting, when the agenda was already set, thus the Board could not take action, without either asking the City Clerk to publish a revised agenda or violating the Open Meetings Law. Nonetheless, I reported the matter by reading an email during the "public communications" section of the Board meeting. As I've told Mr. Ponschock, this item will be on the Board agenda at their next meeting.
Mr. Ponschock also has the meeting date incorrect: the Library Board meets on the second Tuesday of the month, not the first. Names of Library Board members are published by both the Library and City. The Library's web page about the Board gives a mailing address, a phone number for more information and names of all the Board members. People who wish to circumvent the library in contacting Board members hardly need more diligence than a phone directory.
I also wish Mr. Ponschock would stop encouraging people to harass our Reference staff. He has published, both here, and in a letter to the editor of the Post Crescent, the email address where people send requests for help and information. The Library's web site, on the other hand, directs any questions about the library and policies to Library Administration and gives my email address: tdawson@apl.org. I welcome all comments, though I am partial to those which are well-informed and not mean-spirited.
I have to take exception to both Mr. Ponschock's facts and characterization of library users. Arguments ad hominem are counter productive in civic discourse, but belittling those with whom one disagrees is, alas, too often effective.
Mr. Ponschock states: “the policy appears to be capricious and not uniform in nature.” The policy states: “Patrons of the Appleton Public Library have the right to use Library materials and services without being unduly disturbed or impeded by others.” I fail to see how this is inconsistent or capricious. It seems like common sense. Mr. Ponschock may feel that library staff’s enforcement of the policy is inconsistent, and it may be, because we have a lot of staff and they need to gauge individual situations. We may not use an absolute decibel standard, nor the absolute standard of “all cell phones are prohibited” that Mr. Ponschock seems to want. But we trust library staff to try to keep this place nice and to make good judgment calls, even if their judgment does not agree with Mr. Ponschock.
Mr. Ponschock also states that cell phone use is “not the case in many libraries” and I’m sure he’s correct, but the whole truth is that it IS also the case in many libraries. In addition to Appleton, public libraries in Kaukauna, New London, Neenah, Menasha, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Racine, Kenosha and Eau Claire allow cell phones. Middleton has a policy against them, but selectively enforces it on one floor – it’s permitted as long as it doesn’t cause a problem. Staff at these libraries would agree: it’s not the technology, it’s the behavior. Many people use cell phones courteously, and for legitimate reasons. The library has always provided pay phones on the first floor.
The real problem is not cell phones. To assume the problem can be solved by sending all cell phone users to a little purgatory where they will obstruct the entrance is a false solution to a false problem. The real problem is noise and good manners, not a particular technology. In fact, the library staff more often speaks to people about noise in conversations than they do about cell phones – but we do ask people to quiet down if their conversation, on or off a cell phone seems too loud. We do ask that people silence their ringers when entering the library, as a courtesy.
A bigger problem is over-crowding. With 1,500 people a day coming into the library, some human friction is inevitable. We have the entire second floor, with many tables and chairs, set aside as a cell-phone-free area. In the area where we allow cell phone use – with silenced ringers – one frequently finds laughing or crying children, many phones ringing at three service desks, doors opening & closing, the security gate beeping, and lots of conversations. With or without cell phones, the first floor of the library is a noisier area: it’s the noise of people. Do I wish we had the space for a quiet reading room on the first floor? I sure do! I also wish we had a real young adult room, more small group rooms, a larger children’s area, and more seating in general. Part of the problem is what you get when you pack a lot of people into an “open concept” building.
We’re all in this together. If someone else is bothering us – at the library, or in the grocery store or on the street, with or without a cell phone – we need to say: “Excuse me, could you keep it down? I’m trying to read (or think, or whatever) and you’re being a bit loud.” Most of the time, people will respond “Oh, I’m sorry” and lower their volume, because most of us can be heedless, but are decent. In a community place like the library, there is a staff that responds to requests for help, if people are uncomfortable speaking up for themselves. And we surely do respond to problems even if not asked. But we’ve gotten more complaints about general conversations and the presence of children than we have about cell phones. And we’ve gotten more complaints from cell phone users who don’t like the fact that we silence them than we have from people who want us to stop cell phone use. I think we’re doing the job the community needs. We are not going to ban children or talking either, but we’ve set aside half the building as a quiet area.
If we want a world full of excessive rules, and people paid to enforce them, and bad consequences, rather than trying to get along in common humanity, I guess that’s what we’ll get. I’d rather have the staff answering questions and helping people than being cell phone cops, but that will be a policy decision for the Library Board.
Mr. Ponschock states “I'm embarrassed that I have to do this. In my last correspondence with the director, he told me the complaint would be forwarded to the library board. I have received no follow up from the board.” But he doesn’t HAVE to do this: a cursory reading of the calendar would indicate that the Board has not since met, and thus could not have responded, unless he assumed the taxpayers would fund a special meeting of the Board to deal with his concern.
The Board meets at 4:30 PM on May 13 at the Library; the public is welcome. Persons wishing to contact the Board may send a letter in care of the Library or get further information from the Library office or City Clerk.
Terry Dawson (Tue Apr 29 11:49:09 2008)
Yes, before any further writing or harassing I called the APL this afternoon.
I apologize for misreading what I was sent.
My mind is not changed. While at the barber yesterday, a complete stranger encouraged me to continue when this topic was brought up.
I am concerned that someone who read this early read the wrong date. Usually replies are posted the same day. Once it's off the front page, I am not monitoring all posts and follow ups.
Again, the error was inadvertent.
Lon Ponschock (Tue Apr 29 17:16:48 2008)
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