Ban on Scissors?
BBC published a brief, but interesting article.
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“Library ’scissor ban’ is ‘absurd’” is a headline on tonight’s BBC news report. It seems the a library council apologized to a local business woman after a librarian refused to loan her a pair of scissors on the grounds that she “might stab” the librarian with it. The written report is rather sparse, and one wonders what other circumstances surrounded the request and the remark.
I will say, as a former public librarian, that scissors were an item we kept out of sight. My first two years with my former employing library, I worked at the down-town location. There were a lot of homeless people from a nearby shelter who spent their days in our reading rooms. Most of them were quiet, harmless souls who read our magazines or caught a nap in our comfortable chairs. Once in a while, though, we would get a person (not always a homeless person–to be quite factual) who made one wonder a little bit about just how safe it was to be around them.
When I began working for the public school system, one of the lead teachers saw my little art cart, loaded to go to the class room, waiting unattended in the hall. We were cutting snow flakes that day so I had scissors sitting on top. “I’d really take it as a favor if you would put those away,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to end up wearing one of them.” Considering that we had a child at that school for whom we had all taken a class in restraining him without harming him, I understood. After that, my scissors traveled hidden in a box.
While browsing around on the internet looking for more information on the “scissor ban” incident, I ran across several references to violence involving scissors or pencils. It seems that these homely tools have nice, pointy ends good for causing harm. Those of us who are parents, having spent a life-time saying things like, “Don’t run with scissors in your hand,” or “Don’t throw that pencil to your brother! You might miss and put an eye out!”, already knew that arts and crafts tools do have their hazardous side.
Given all of the above, having a ban on lending scissors to a library patron doesn’t seem like that bad an idea. It would appear that the library did not have such a policy. One wonders how the patron approached the librarian. Perhaps the librarian should have been a little bit more diplomatic in refusing to share her tools? The article was sparse, and all the references merely spin-offs. Perhaps tomorrow will bring more details.
Library ‘Scissor Ban’ is ‘absurd’
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User Comments
Beth Suess
On September 27, 2009 at 4:51 am
Very nice piece!
ken bultman
On September 27, 2009 at 5:10 am
It was probably a very innocuous incident. The press loves to jump on these episodes and blow them out of proportion.
Christine Ramsay
On September 27, 2009 at 5:51 am
I was always wary about scissors in the classroom, though the children’s ones were always round ended and not very sharp. I can see how they could be a danger. An interesting piece, Daisy.
Christine
Southgate
On September 27, 2009 at 9:05 am
Quite interesting and eager to know more about it.
Mark Gordon Brown
On September 27, 2009 at 10:32 am
why would somebody need scissors in a liabrary? I would be conscerned they were trying to cut something out of a book, not stab somebody.
Karen Gross
On September 27, 2009 at 12:33 pm
I agree with Mark – why would someone need scissors in a library. I too would be concerned that they would cut something out of a book.
I thought this article would be about theft, especially when you mentioned homeless people. Perhaps they would “borrow” them and forget to return them.
The reality of violence is that someone who wants to hurt someone will find something to use to do it. A friend of mine was attacked in a school library by a student who pulled the metal cable out of the card catalogue (the one that held all the cards down) and he attempted to strangle my friend who was a student teacher at the time. Computers have now replaced card catalogues, but if necessity is the mother of invention, then insanity must be a crazy uncle.
Paul Roberts
On September 27, 2009 at 2:42 pm
There are always safety scissors! Nice article. Friend, fan, smile
PR Mace
On September 27, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I have to agree why did they even need them. Interesting article.
Mr Ghaz
On September 28, 2009 at 1:59 am
I agree with you, scissors were an item we kept out of sight!! Very interesting article..nice read too..Thanks:)
Annie Hintsala
On September 28, 2009 at 3:46 pm
As a teacher of many years I have had a few incidents involving scissors and pencils, though mostly with my older kids and when I was teaching high school, not with the younger ones I work with now. All that has happened recently is the odd hair cutting incident, but I do see the point. They can easily be used as a weapon, and is why we can’t take them on an airplane-or my knitting needles.
janet Trieschman
On September 29, 2009 at 12:12 am
seems like scissors should be banned so patrons don’t cut the books
Ruby Hawk
On September 29, 2009 at 10:33 pm
I have heard of kids stabbing others with a sharpened pencil but you can’t take their pencils away.
S A JOHNSON
On October 4, 2009 at 12:33 am
Interesting article.
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