Suggestions & Questions from Our Library Users July 2018 Building-related comments 1. A stepping stool in the family bathroom for youth (or vertically challenged) patrons to be able to reach the sink. Thank you for the suggestion. We are in the process of acquiring an appropriate stepping stool for the family bathroom. Service-related comments 1. Lunch & Learn is such a nice program but please rethink your coffee policy. Not everyone is able to stay and socialize afterwards. Would a cup of coffee before the presentation be so terrible? Adults can socialize at other times than library may have planned. Seeing the adult program specialist admonish adults about having coffee before hand is embarrassing & a childish display. Put a tip of jar out if cost for extra cup of coffee or two is too much for the library. And, please, remember to treat grown ups with respect. Thanks much for your compliment regarding our popular Lunch & Learn programs. We have designed this program series to offer time at the end of the program to use the coffee machines and socialize based upon patron feedback. We definitely want our patrons who attend programs to have an enjoyable experience. To that end, we ask that you refrain from using the coffee machine and getting snacks during the program so as not to disturb other patrons and potentially distract the presenter. Computer-related comments 1. Again, I have to ask, why don’t upgrade your Server? It obviously can’t handle 40+ computers!!! I can’t do half of the things I need to do that I can accomplish at Lake Villa or Antioch. Impressive to have 40 available computers but when they don’t function to their full extent… USELESS!!! If you can’t afford to upgrade then eliminate some of the computers and perhaps that will solve the problem? I’m glad I don’t have to come here too often but when I do it’s very frustrating!!! Thanks for your feedback. If you are referring to using public Internet computers at WNPL, please be aware that some issues occur due to high traffic on hosting or cloud servers for popular websites. If you experience an issue with WNPL computers during your visit, please inform staff at the Adult or Youth Services desks. We'll do our best to try to help.  Miscellaneous-related comments 1. Noise in children’s area was way to bad and had to leave. Video games should NOT be a part of the library unless educational. Extremely upsetting having to leave because of kids screaming and yelling. As librarians, we completely understand your expectation that a library be very quiet, and devoted to literacy, but public libraries are changing so that they can attract and serve more people. Video game events take place regularly, but for short periods. They are intended for older kids, and with games that are vetted by staff. Several studies and clinical research indicates that video games actually are educational and good for both kids and adults in various ways. In addition, we are offering a service not affordable by many families. As far as noise from the gaming, we do our best to keep it minimal. We do have areas of the library that are much quieter, such as our Quiet Reading Room, but please, if you find the noise upsetting, let library staff know. We hope to make everyone’s visit to WNPL the best it can be. 2. Q: What do you get when a librarian crosses the road? A: A book worm. That’s a good one! Thanks for brightening our day with this bookish riddle. 3. Please consider asking patrons to silence cell phones when using computers. We do allow cell phone usage in the library if the conversation is not loud enough to disturb others. Please let staff know if conversations are too loud, whether on cell phones or person to person so that we can address this on an individual basis. Thank you for taking the time to help us improve our service to you. If you have suggested a title for purchase, we passed it along to staff members who order materials. Ryan Livergood, Executive Director Patron comments appear here unabridged and unedited.