Monday, June 04, 2007
Cell phone etiquette
Friends,
You know how we librarians are all up-in-arms about people who use their cell phone impolitely in the library? They are wandering through the stacks talking loudly on their cell phones, or sitting at a computer yakking away, completely oblivious to the fact that people around them do not really care one iota about their ingrown toenail, the sunburn they got over the weekend, or their dog Fluffy's dandruff problem. So we put signs up asking people to please turn their ringers to vibrate, and perhaps to go to designated "cell talking" zones if they must take a call in the library.
Well, library patrons are NOT the only people who need to be schooled on cell phone etiquette, let me tell you. I was in a workshop with other librarians this morning. The presenter was in the middle of her speech when someone's cell phone rang (loudly). That was bad enough, but then the person answered their phone and began having a conversation with the caller. The room fell dead silent as we all craned our necks and stared at this rude person, hoping to shame him into proper behavior. After a few sentences, when he realized we were all staring at him, he got the message and muttered "I have to go now" into his phone. The presenter waited a few beats and then said "All set now?" before continuing her presentation.
To all you kettles out there calling the pots black: Look closely at your own behavior before you criticize the behavior of your library patrons. You may think you have a very important reason to answer your cell phone in the middle of a presentation, but let me tell you-- your patrons think THEIR reasons for answering their cell phones in the middle of the library are just as important.
And for goodness sake, if you have taken the time to register for and then show up at a presentation, be there fully. People can generally get along without you just fine for a few hours, so turn the cell phone off. And if you must wait for an important call, then follow the same etiquette you prescribe for your library patrons:
1. Put the cell phone on vibrate.
2. If any parts of your body begin vibrating during the presentation, get up and go outside the room before answering the cell phone.
Thank you for your consideration!
You know how we librarians are all up-in-arms about people who use their cell phone impolitely in the library? They are wandering through the stacks talking loudly on their cell phones, or sitting at a computer yakking away, completely oblivious to the fact that people around them do not really care one iota about their ingrown toenail, the sunburn they got over the weekend, or their dog Fluffy's dandruff problem. So we put signs up asking people to please turn their ringers to vibrate, and perhaps to go to designated "cell talking" zones if they must take a call in the library.
Well, library patrons are NOT the only people who need to be schooled on cell phone etiquette, let me tell you. I was in a workshop with other librarians this morning. The presenter was in the middle of her speech when someone's cell phone rang (loudly). That was bad enough, but then the person answered their phone and began having a conversation with the caller. The room fell dead silent as we all craned our necks and stared at this rude person, hoping to shame him into proper behavior. After a few sentences, when he realized we were all staring at him, he got the message and muttered "I have to go now" into his phone. The presenter waited a few beats and then said "All set now?" before continuing her presentation.
To all you kettles out there calling the pots black: Look closely at your own behavior before you criticize the behavior of your library patrons. You may think you have a very important reason to answer your cell phone in the middle of a presentation, but let me tell you-- your patrons think THEIR reasons for answering their cell phones in the middle of the library are just as important.
And for goodness sake, if you have taken the time to register for and then show up at a presentation, be there fully. People can generally get along without you just fine for a few hours, so turn the cell phone off. And if you must wait for an important call, then follow the same etiquette you prescribe for your library patrons:
1. Put the cell phone on vibrate.
2. If any parts of your body begin vibrating during the presentation, get up and go outside the room before answering the cell phone.
Thank you for your consideration!
Labels: cell phone etiquette
¶ posted by Mary Martin @ 1:57 PM
Comments:
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OMG, this blog is sooo great! I hate to gush (really, I'm not a gusher) but the post on cell phone etiquette is so relevant to the campus library I work in. I'm sending the link to this post to my friend Paul, who works also in above-stated library. Here is the link to a blog done by one of our librarians:
http://fiberlibrarian.blogspot.com
http://fiberlibrarian.blogspot.com
This happened to me when I was at a seminar at a librarian conference in Philadelphia
The librarian answered the call and continued to talk and we couldn't hear the presenter. She then spoke louder into her phone, and we still couldn't hear the presenter. When somebody next to her asked her to take the call outside she said, "I'll just be another minute," and continued talking.
I missed everything the presenter was saying while she was on her phone call!
This was my first time out of town and away from my newborn child. I was a little anxious to be away, but at least my cell phone was on vibrate!
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The librarian answered the call and continued to talk and we couldn't hear the presenter. She then spoke louder into her phone, and we still couldn't hear the presenter. When somebody next to her asked her to take the call outside she said, "I'll just be another minute," and continued talking.
I missed everything the presenter was saying while she was on her phone call!
This was my first time out of town and away from my newborn child. I was a little anxious to be away, but at least my cell phone was on vibrate!
# posted by 
: June 05, 2007 8:43 AM
: June 05, 2007 8:43 AM<< Home
