A library in Maplewood, NJ, will be closing its doors on weekdays between the hours of 2:45 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. The librarians will still be working (processing, ordering, paperwork, etc.), however no patrons will be allowed in the building.
The reason? To keep the 'tweens and teens out of the library. According to this article, the teens "fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day." This is, of course, not all of the teens, but as J.D. says in Heathers, "the extreme always makes an impression."
I worked for a half a year or so in the Bronx. It wasn't pleasant and I was subjected to that sort of behavior daily. I got called all manner of obscenities and racial slurs, had signs and books thrown at my head (even though they missed), and even participated in a "drive around" with the cops. That experience really called into question my desire to be a young adult librarian; how to deal with those situations was not taught in library school. It was also my first experience as a librarian.
Did I want to close the library then? Yes. Without a doubt. I don't expect any library in NYC, except for the research and academic ones, to be quiet like the stereotype. I do, however, expect to work in a safe environment; if I didn't, I probably would have decided to work in law enforcement.
The solution isn't simple, just as the problem behavior doesn't have a simple root. And I wish that I knew the answer.
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