Cell Phones in the Library

In Case of Emergency

It's hard to tell whether people talking to themselves in the library, or anywhere really, have a blue tooth connection to their cell phone or are just, well, talking to themselves. That's not an original observation, but in the context of keeping the library quiet, it makes it hard to ask a patron to turn off their cell phone if in fact they are just having a spirited debate with their favorite debater: themselves. Another tricky cell phone issue: patrons politely take their phone conversations to the bathroom or stairwell. I'm not a sound engineer, but I'm pretty sure the acoustics of those two places are the best in the library. The conversations are amplified for the world to hear. In fact, maybe we should have music programs  in the stair well. And finally: kids with cell phones. Sigh. They use them, they lose them. The library staff is getting pretty good at figuring out how to use lost cellphones to contact the owner. Be sure you put the ICE on your kid's phone. ICE = In Case of Emergency contacts. Read this USA Today article for more information about ICE