QUIET!!

I wrote a letter to our local library manager today.
As usual, I started out with a compliment. I said how much I appreciate the library and how often I go there to spend a few quiet moments reading magazines and newspapers.
Then I changed gears.
I said that, "more often than not" my repose is interrupted by people talking on cell phones or loud conversations at the check-out desk.
I included a couple of specific examples: One day, a guy was conducting business on his cell phone while sitting in the reading area of the library. I think he had a car for sale in the library parking lot, so when people called the number on the "for sale" sign, he was close at hand. Another day, a guy came in the library, tossed his jacket over the back of a chair in the reading area, and proceeded to pace around the library talking on his cell phone! What a jerk!
I urged her to impose an immediate ban against cell phone use, post notices inside and out, and train staff on enforcement strategies.
In closing, I asked: "Did I miss a paradigm shift in library protocol? Are libraries no longer places where QUIET is the word?"
Sometimes it feels like I'm walking a fuzzy line between citizen-advocate and geezer-grump. Unfortunately, few public officials or store managers appear to be concerned about inappropriate behavior until someone complains.
Okay. I can do that.