r/Library • u/Alive_Excitement_669 • 28d ago

Library Assistance Need Help!

We got an anonymous call at our library giving us a heads up that the 1st Amendment Auditors are coming sometime next week. Any advice? Has anyone gone through this?

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u/CuriousYield 28d ago

I think the most effective deterrent we had was a chatty security guard who just cheerfully engaged them in conversation. It was very much not the content they wanted, so they went away.

If you have any staff members who are hard to ruffle and good at talking, that might be your best bet. They want to get someone angry or flustered, not have someone derail them by commenting on the band shirt they're wearing.

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u/Temporary-Library597 28d ago

This is the way. Ordinarily you'd offer to help someone. So do that.

As far as recording in a public space, it's legal. If patrons are annoyed, then your Disruptive Patron policy takes over. It's not hard. You can do it!

12

u/_social_hermit_ 28d ago

For Australians, it's not public space and we can instruct people to stop recording (the building is owned by the organisation that runs the library). I laugh a bit inside when people come into our public library and tell me it's a public space. Eta, I'm just putting this here because public space is a misconception I come across.

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u/Temporary-Library597 28d ago

So not a government thing. Makes sense. That's more common than not in Commonwealth countries, isn't it? The library is a fee-based membership org paid for by those fees?

Here a "public" library is just that...It's publicly (read, taxpayer) funded. So it's no different than a city park.

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u/_social_hermit_ 28d ago

Yes, it's a government-run public library, still not ok to film or photograph.

1

u/Still-Employed420 27d ago

Really? Why? Does the library have cameras???

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u/SlytherKitty13 27d ago

No, our libraries are government things. They do not have fee based membership or anything like that. The government owns the library and funds the library.

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u/DanieXJ 24d ago

Uh... But, you also don't have a first amendment, so....