At my library we’re very strict about cell phone use. You cannot talk on the phone in the library and we have signs EVERYWHERE stating this fact. Still, not a day goes by that I don’t have to direct a cell phone talker to the lobby to continue their call. Many people will make excuses about forgetting to put the phone on vibrate or silent. I understand; I’ve forgotten that myself sometimes. But just because you forget to do that doesn’t mean you have to answer the phone when it does ring! Silence the phone so it doesn’t keep ringing and call the person back when you’ve left the library!
Because I have to deal with this so often at work, I find myself wanting to do this in public too out of sheer habit. When I see someone in the grocery store line or wandering the aisles at the bookstore and they’re chatting on their phone, I have the urge to politely tell them to take it outside. But I don’t do this, and instead watch people make fools of themselves as they talk loudly about their personal lives for all the store to hear.
