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Quiet Libraries Are Supposedly Dead

First published in the Feb. 4 print issue of the Burbank Leader.

Sitting here at the Buena Vista Library and reading newspapers as we often do, we were (again) audibly assaulted by patrons speaking on their cellphones.
A request for quiet to the reference desk did not help.
After the second incident, I asked the two behind the desk if anything could be done. Their somewhat orchestrated responses were that: “We cannot ask people not to speak on their cell phones, because they’re so ubiquitous in this day and age.”
I responded that libraries were always a place of serenity and quiet, so why can’t we have that now?
Both ladies responded that this is a new library policy. And when pressed, they mentioned that they are new so they cannot state when the policy took place, but it came down from the administrator of the libraries here in Burbank.
What could we do? I asked the noisy patron to please talk outside, like the long-gone signage used to say.
I was ignored, so we moved to a less noisy section — until it wasn’t.

Kris and TJ Litero
Burbank

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