Library, Thy Name is Hypocrisy

I’ve written before about the Haverhill Library.

It seems they have this rule against bare feet . . .

You see, Haverhill, MA is the home of John Greenleaf Whittier, the poet who wrote “The Barefoot Boy”. You know:

Blessings on thee, little man,
Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan!

Of course, they are proud of their native son. At their local library they even have a statue of “the barefoot boy”.

Barefoot Boy Statue at Haverhill Library

They not only have a statue, but they also have an annual “Barefoot Boy” contest. In the library. In the same library that has this in their Code of Conduct:

The following behaviors are not permitted in the library or on library property.

14. Wearing inadequate or insufficient clothing (shirts and shoes, please).

Library, they name is hypocrisy.

And if you asked them, I’m sure they’d say their rule is for safety. Well, their Library Customer Bill of Rights includes

10. Library customers are entitled to clean, safe, reasonably quiet library buildings.

The way you provide safety is not by allowing dangers and then requiring that customers wear safety equipment. You provide safety by removing dangers.

And if they say, “oh, but we don’t know if there might be a danger”, then it has to be pointed out that in that case you suddenly don’t forget about the rule and have a contest with a bunch of barefooted children running around. Right?

The Haverhill Library “Barefoot Boy”

Library, thy name is hypocrisy.

I think we all know that bare feet are banned because they just feel it is not “acceptable.”

Haverhill is not the only one.

Let’s look at the McCracken County Library in Paducah, KY. Their Rules and Regulations of Conduct say

Shoes and shirts must be worn at all times by all visitors.

Yet, on flickr there is this.

dance dance…

[Caption from flickr.]

And there is this.

yes they ran in the library…

[Caption from flickr.]

From what I can tell, this was part of a “Summer Together Party”. But what part of “at all times” don’t they understand?

Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s great they were barefooted for this. Barefooted is great for Dance Dance Revolution. (Barefooted is great for all the time!) But you know if you or I were to walk into that library trying to use it, as a library, barefooted, they would give us grief. And they’d tell us it was too unsafe, or that we were spreading germs.

Library, thy name is hypocrisy.

Here’s another one: the Town of Mendon Public Library in Honeoye Falls, NY (a suburb of Rochester). In their Rules of Conduct it says this:

The Mendon Public Library Board of Trustees is committed to providing an atmosphere where people of all ages may come to gather, discuss, learn and enjoy. The following Rules of Conduct are adopted to ensure the comfort and security of patrons and library staff, and to protect and preserve the physical collection, equipment, library building, and grounds.

The following conduct is prohibited in the library and on library grounds:

Entering without proper attire including shirt and shoes.

I’d be perfectly safe in my bare feet, and I’d surely be more comfortable. But I bet they’d still throw me out.

So it was interesting to find this on the Mendon Public Library Blog.

Gracie O’Brien likes to sort barefoot. She’s given careful attention to children’s videos.

[Caption from the blog.]

They don’t even see what’s wrong with it. They think it worth highlighting on their blog as something cute and/or interesting. It’s also something Gracie seems to do regularly, so the administrators have to know about it.

Yet they have a rule. (OK, yes the rule says you have to enter with shoes and does not say you cannot take them off after entering, but do you really think arguing that would get you anywhere.) Again, if you or I were to try to regularly use the library barefooted, you can be sure we’d be tossed.

Library, thy name is hypocrisy.

And I bet you this occurs in libraries across the country. It’s just not usually documented the way these pictures do it. But administrators are still sure that they need a library rule against bare feet.

Except when they don’t feel like enforcing it.

Library, thy name is hypocrisy.