The Good and the Bad

Admittedly, being a librarian is fun for a vast majority of the time. I get to live in a world full of books and media, where knowledge is the currency and I am seen as the One With the Answers. However, there are those moments where I'm sometimes made to feel like the bad guy: informing patrons of money (late fees) they owe, reminding patrons about overdue materials, and enforcing library policies. Today's incident involved the latter.

We have a policy of no cellphones in the library, meaning no conversations on the cellphone. It's annoying to other students who are using the library to study, and the space is also used for students who have to make up a test. Needless to say, it's imperative that while in the library, all students 1) use low voices if they want to talk to each other; 2) keep loud noises to a minimum; and 3) stay off the cell phone. There are signs posted in various locations reminding patrons of the cell phone policy. If a student needs to take a call, they are asked to take it outside and have their conversation away from this "sacred space." A student here this morning took exception to this policy and let me know it loud and clear.

The student (we will call him "Bob") was belligerent and rude in response to my (repeated) polite request that he follow the policy and take it outside. Bob didn't think he should follow the policy if no one else was around, regardless that the policy is enforced with no discrimination during all hours of operation. I will not go into detail about the conversation/confrontation that took place (it wouldn't be flattering to Bob), but it left a bad taste in my mouth and really put a damper on the rest of my morning.

I didn't ask Bob to leave simply because I didn't want to make an even bigger deal than he was already making it (he ended up leaving on his own shortly afterward anyway). But how else can you deal with a patron who, in effect, decides to have a fit because things aren't going the way he or she would like? I need some ideas on other ways to (politely) deal with patrons who, like Bob, decide that they are right, regardless of the policies in place or library staff who say otherwise. Customer service is such an important aspect of library service. I'm well prepared for the many positive encounters I have with patrons (and continue to have on a daily basis), yet I feel so under-prepared for those problems that do arise and lead to confrontations. Any ideas or similar stories that you want to share?