Jarrell was one of several patrons Monday afternoon waiting outside or in the foyer of the public library. He was given a slip of paper saying he could come in after 5 p.m.
“It makes me feel not accepted,” Jarrell told a Dayton Daily News reporter who interviewed patrons as they waited to enter the library Monday. “And the library is a home where people are able to utilize vital resources.”
The downtown branch has seen a decrease in disruptions since the quiet space hours policy went into effect last month, said Debi Chess, the external relations and development director of Dayton Metro Library.
The library does not foresee a change to the main branch’s hours as of now, Chess said.
“We will continue to evaluate the policy’s efficacy in regard to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our patrons and staff while assuring the library remains open and accessible; and respond to the needs of the community accordingly,” Chess said in a statement to this news outlet.
The main branch policy was put in place after the Dayton Police Department responded to calls for multiple fights during a December incident involving youth and adults, which resulted in the main branch’s evacuation.
Dayton police last year made twice as many arrests and responded to more than twice as many calls for service at the downtown Dayton Metro Library. Proactive patrols, where officers are stationed nearby, are one of the main reasons there has been a large increase in calls for service at the library, according to Dayton Police Department officials.
Last year, the most common types of service calls to the downtown library were related to trespassing (45 calls), theft (41), disorderly subjects (39), wellness checks (36) and assaults (16). Police also received service calls about juveniles, mental health, fights, threats and drugs, according to DPD.
Jarrell said he feels local adults are being punished for the actions of children.
“The policy should be, if you’re a child, maybe you should have a guardianship. But adults should be able to come in freely,” he said. “We’re definitely being impacted by children’s decisions, but I don’t think that adults should reap the consequences of children’s decisions.”
The new policy also has rules against congregating in the library and requires those studying together to use a study room, among other rules.
Jeremy Collier-Freed, a local college student, was waiting Monday afternoon to use the library to study with a friend.
He said he wasn’t upset about having to wait.
“It’s only 18 minutes, I’m not too upset about that,” he said. “If someone kind of had a strict schedule and had places to be, I’d get that. But we’re kind of just chilling, so that doesn’t affect us.”
Staff reporter Cornelius Frolik contributed to this report.
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