The Lack of Respect In This Country, Even in a little Mountain Town Library

     First, I’d like to remind everyone of how much I love the library system of this great nation. Also Of how I think that for such a small county the Grand County Library System is excellent.  The only complaint I’ve had is the noise level.  For the most part, I ignore it. The Kremmling and Hot Sulpher libraries are quite small and it’s understandable. The Granby Library is quite large and even has a large kids room but yet at times it can still be noisy . I don’t like to make a fuss, so I just ignore it, usually the noise doesn’t last that long. Though there comes a time when enough is enough!

        I was in the library yesterday, a Saturday, early.  I had some stuff I was working on. I had just gotten started when some late teen maybe very early twenty year old comes in and starts reading a letter, I guess, he had gotten from the post office across the street. I don’t know what he had gotten but he was very relieved and glad. Apparently it was something he had been waiting on and it brought him great pleasure. He also apparently thought everybody in the library should know how pleased he was. Then he got a phone call and from across the library I could hear him talking on the phone louder than if I was shouting to him. His girlfriend, wife, significant other, whatever, was sitting behind me and must have noticed I was getting annoyed and tried to quiet him down, but he was so busy being loud, I guess he didn’t notice her.  About this time a group of kids, say 12 to 14 years of age came in and sat behind me, talking loudly and being boisterous. I gave them a minute or two and then without turning to them I shushed them. Next I heard “Dusty Old Fart!” Still with my back to them I told them that libraries were supposed to be quiet places. Nothing else was said. “The Dusty Old Fart” stood his ground and at least for the time being things was quiet enough.

         Here to me is the most shocking part of this story! It was at about this point a very sweet, kindly librarian walked up to me and offered one of the study rooms. She stated that I could close the door and it would be quieter. A nice gesture on her part, but for one thing, I don’t want to be closed up in a tiny room. Second off, when I was that age, not only would the librarian tell you to be quiet and threaten to throw you out, you had more respect than to say something like to an older person. I think it’s a major flaw in our society that we let kids get away with such rudeness and that people as a whole have such little respect for their selves, their families and the other people they come in contact with.