Area libraries seeing more unsupervised children due to spring break

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Parents are using their local library as a way to keep children occupied during spring break.  However, many parents are dropping their kids off and leaving them unsupervised for the day.

The Allen County Public Library said Tuesday it has seen nearly three to four times more kids this week, and one staff member admitted some parents do leave their children unsupervised.

"We know that sometimes it does happen," Mary Voors, the children's services manager at the ACPL Main Branch, said.  "We know kids beg to come to the library, and it depends on the maturity of the kid, and the guidelines of the parents of the child."

Voors said some parents will tell a librarian the child will be at the library alone, but the librarian will ask the parent if that is a good decision.

"We ask them, would you feel comfortable having them at the mall by themselves," Voors said.  "If they're comfortable with the child being at the mall, or at Jefferson Pointe, by themselves, then they are probably ready to be at the library by themselves."

The library has flyers hanging up asking the same question.

"We are not their babysitter, we are not their parent," Voors said.  "We really try to remind the parent of that.  They are the ones responsible for the kids."

"We really expect the parents to be the ones to make the decision on if ever a child should be left unattended here," Cheryl Ferverda, the communications and development manager at ACPL, said.  "It's there responsibility to know when a child is capable of handling any situation that comes along.  It's a public building."

Ferverda said if the library was to become responsible for children, it would have to probably quadruple the number of staff.

Since the library knows some children are there alone, it has taken security measures to keep them as safe as possible.  Several branches in Allen County even have a security guard on staff.  It also will purposely lays out the children's section.

"The materials toward the entryway of the department are geared towards the older child," Ferverda said.  "Then as you go back through the department further, the materials are geared towards the younger child.  It keeps the younger child much more farther from the entrance."

This allows adults and library staff more opportunities to spot something suspicious.

The library does say a parent should make sure an unsupervised child knows a few things.

• The child knows their first and last name.
• The child knows the name of a parent or guardian
• The child has a phone number and address to find their parent

The library adds there have been times where an unsupervised child has become disruptive, and had to call the police because the child did not know how to find the parent.

"We will call the police if that's necessary," Ferverda said.  "We often try to have the child call home first, or grandmother or neighbor to try to help find the parent, but if all else fails, we'll call the police."

Ferverda said if the library has to ask a child to leave for disrupting others, it will not just put them outside alone.

Most times when the police get involved is because a child is left alone when the library is ready to close for the night.