I and my co-workers are always amazed and frustrated when parents drop off children (a number of whom are under the age of 10) at the library so they can go shopping, have dinner, take a break, or do whatever else. Sometimes, parents are in another part of the library working on computers or looking at books, and they pay no attention to their children who are doing somersaults off bookcases and onto bean bags, risking life and limb. Parents assume that 1) the library is a safe place and 2) a place where library professionals will watch your children free of charge.
Although the library is generally a safe place to be, it is by no means a sanctuary from the ills of society. You wouldn't let your 4-year old wander around the mall by herself in the midst of strangers, so why would you let her do the same in the library? By a similar token, you keep an eye on your 7-year old to make sure he's not destroying public property or hurting himself, but you don't watch him in the library and allow him free reign?
We enjoy helping and doing various programs for kids in the library; those are some of things we like about our jobs. However, we are not babysitters and have other work we need to do in order to run the library. There are patrons who need our attention, and even though we do try to keep an eye on our smallest patrons, we're not able to watch them continuously.
Please, parents, watch over your children in the library the same way you would watch over them in a mall, at the playground, in a museum, or anywhere outside the home. After all, the library is a public place and not immune to things that happen elsewhere. We at the library do our best to keep a safe environment, but we need your help to do it.
With happy and safe wishes from the perch.
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