First posted here six years ago today.
What’s the deal with public libraries anyway? Everywhere I’ve ever lived they start herding people out the door with announcements, flashing lights, computers shutting off and dirty looks well before the actual closing time. It happened to me again tonight. They close at 8:00 and at 7:45 they’ve got more rounding up going on than a well-led cattle drive.
NewMexiKen managed a public research facility for ten years. I well remember that some diehards would hang in until the last minute, but I don’t remember having to be rude about it. And I don’t remember my staff or I ever getting agitated if the last stragglers were still pulling together their belongings and filing out at two minutes after quitting time.
Who do these public library staffs work for anyway?
(For the record, I left the library tonight at 7:50, ten minutes before closing. I know what time it was because as I was leaving they made an announcement saying it was ten minutes to closing and you could no longer use your library card.)
I’ve noticed that the public library I visit most often has their main clock – the one near the check-out area – set at least seven minutes fast.
It’s given me a start more than once, thinking I’m late to get to the pick-up lane at school…then I remember. I assume this is so they can close a few minutes early every evening.
It’s just plain rude, and I never hounded people during my 13 years in library services, whether public or college. I would go around and politely alert people that we were closing in 15 minutes or whatever, or, in a couple places we were directed to do so, I would quickly flash the lights once, because it was a large building. But, I repeat, I never hounded people, I never gave them grief if they kept me a few extra minutes, and I never closed early. It’s inexcusably rude.
I don’t like it when businesses do it, either. One day recently I rushed around after work trying to get to a bread store that closed at 6:00. I got there at 10 minutes before 6, and the door was locked. I only wanted a couple loaves of bread before I headed for home 70 miles away, because I would not be back for 4 days. The employee inside wouldn’t budge and pointed at their clock, set ahead so they could close early. I refuse to go back there.