County commissioners met February 21 to consider an ordinance that would allow Clackamas County (Ore.) Library workers to ban troublemakers. Drafted at the request of Library Director Doris Grolbert, the measure is being sought as a way to deal with a group of teens who have been engaging in antisocial behavior for the last six months at the main branch in Oak Grove. Librarian Mary Pauli said in the February 21 Portland Oregonian, they “annoy or intimidate other patrons, and it takes tons and tons of staff time to deal with it. They treat [the library] like their own bedroom and trash it.” The newspaper reported that the teens brought in food and left their garbage behind, rearranged books, had loud conversations, and monopolized computers.
But Clackamas County has no established guidelines for excluding people from libraries. According to officials, only those who are a threat to public safety can be banished. Grolbert said, “They can play loud music or yell . . . but if they’re not endangering others, we can’t kick them out.”
The proposed ordinance would prohibit activities such as excessive noise, running, littering, drunkenness, or harassing patrons or staff. After two warnings, the offender could lose some or all library privileges for up to 90 days. Grolbert said that handing out warnings should take care of most problems.
Posted February 25, 2002.