Norms of Behavior

    When I was growing up, libraries were exceedingly quiet places. Not as much anymore. Librarians are tolerating more conversations among patrons.
    At a library in Ohio, I booked a study room. Those rooms are usually the quietest places.
    In the room beside me, a young man—late teens to early twenties—was talking loudly. On and on he ranted. He made concentration impossible for me.
    I stole a peak though his door. Nobody else was present in his room. He faced a desktop computer. A headset covered his ears. He was participating in an online, realtime strategy game. From the sound of his conversation, he was leading a team of people against an opposing team. For all I knew, they were playing from locations all over the world. 
    Didn’t the gamer realize he was distracting other library patrons?
    When the video game was nearing a climax, I asked a librarian for assistance. She seemed reluctant to intervene. Still, she asked the gamer to stop talking.
    He was taken aback by her request. And he was freaked out. No longer could he lead his army of gamer heads. In the other room, a smile creased my face. Nothing like a little payback.
    In some libraries, norms of behavior still prevail. I visited a library outside of Boston. It was like walking into a cloistered nunnery. My kind of place.
    An employee was placing artwork on the wall (seen in photo). They apparently changed the paintings from time to time. It was clear that much civic pride was invested in this library.
    If a library features art on its walls, there’s a good chance the rules of quietude will be enforced.