Breaking bad behavior

COEUR d’ALENE — Excessively loud noise.

Disruptive or unsafe behavior.

Sexual misconduct.

Those are some of the bad behaviors that could lead to your last chapter at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library.

The library board on Wednesday heard a report on new policies outlined by director Michael Priest.

It’s not that those things are happening, said Priest, and the current behavior policy is fine. But the library wants to spell out clearly for patrons and staff what’s not OK to do while there.

“The library is certainly a quiet, calm and safe place the vast majority of the time,” Priest wrote. “However, as a public building, behavior issues can and do occur. This policy covers those instances.”

“They represent behaviors that library staff will address if and when they come up,” he wrote.

Board chair Katie Sayler supported spelling things out

“That's really good for the public to know what’s OK,” she said. “They can look this up and see, ‘Can I do this or can’t I do this?’ If you don't spell it out, they don’t know.”

There was some discussion of revoking library cards for persistent troublemakers, but that would take some really bad behavior and come only after repeated warnings and at the discretion of the library director.

“It’s about as bad as a thing that you could do to somebody was to revoke their library card,” said trustee Steve McCrea.

Priest said disruptive or unsafe behavior “comes in many different forms."

Under the policy, excessively loud noise includes use of cell phones, headphones “and electronic devices which disturb other patrons or staff."

Disruptive behavior includes intimidating patrons or staff, use of profanity, threatening language or gestures and “activities or behavior that may result in injury or harm.”

Sexual misconduct under the policy includes inappropriate comments and touching, sexual advances and indecent exposure.

Other new guidelines are interfering with library employees in the performance of their duties and excessive use of seating or space for the purpose of sleeping that interferes with the access and usage of other library patrons.

“Excessively loud noise, that is something certainly we can address,” Priest said. “As long as it's not disturbing anybody, at a relatively reasonable volume, we will let it go.”

Priest said they did not want the policy to become a big “Do not do this” list. He said enforcing the guidelines would be a judgment call, which is why it’s good they are “crystal clear.”

He said they have relationships with patrons, and when they “have an outburst, we deal with it and we move on.”

The library does occasionally have patrons who are repeatedly disruptive. It has led to heated moments and police being called. Priest said “it could result in trespass” of three months or perhaps six months “if it’s something a little more extreme.”

The vast majority of patrons are great, Priest said, bit there are patrons, “unfortunately, who just don't get the message, just repeatedly disruptive.”

Sayler asked if the new policies provide what the library needs, and Priest said it did.

The board will consider the policy for approval at its next meeting.