Library sees better behavior under no-smoking rule
July 28, 2012 3:56PM
Updated: July 28, 2012 11:04PM
BLOOMINGTON (AP) — An Indiana library that had been troubled by smoking, drinking and other bad behavior that often prompted calls to police says things are looking up under stricter enforcement of policies it already had.
Monroe County Public Library officials say efforts to enforce a no-smoking policy on library grounds have made it easier for visitors to use the library’s services.
Director Sara Laughlin told The Herald-Times the result is less mess and easier access for visitors, who often had to run a “gauntlet” of smokers and drinkers who could become unruly.
“There are no cigarette butts to sweep up in the morning. We don’t see people lining up by the doorway. It’s just been a miraculous change,” she said.
The library has been a meeting place for individuals from nearby homeless shelters, and the gatherings had led to some unwanted activity.
Arrests at the library have tripled in the past six years, as have the number of reported assaults. The number of people considered “trespassers” rose from one in 2006 to 14 in the last year, according to Bloomington Police Department data.
With a stricter approach to violations of the smoking, loitering and littering rules that were already on the books, behavioral incidents are down, according to community relations manager Margaret Harter. The incidents averaged nearly 14 a week before the changes but have dropped to fewer than 4 a week since mid-March.
Laughlin said she thinks the removal of some cigarette disposal stands and clear signs stating library policies have helped.
“People who have been cigarette users, they are telling each other, ‘No, you can’t do that there,’” Laughlin said. “The main thing is, we don’t want to lose families with children who think, ‘We have to run the gauntlet to get in there.’ We want to welcome those people back.”
The library averages 3,100 visitors a day and saw more than 1.1 million visits in 2011, a 7 percent increase.
