Remember when libraries were quiet places, very similar to churches? I sure do. This is no longer the case at two of Halifax's libraries, and, as a friend of mine has informed me, no longer the case at a certain Dartmouth library. What do you get now? Clowns carrying on as though they were at home or out on the street. They talk out loud, curse out loud, talk on phones and stuff their faces with chips and chocolate bars and anything else they can inhale. They loiter. They generally do as they please. I have complained, gone over the heads of managers, filled out complaint cards. I have spoken to those in authority. They have returned my calls. However, nothing has really changed. So, to all you dumbasses out there who have no conception, no clue as to the basic operation of a library: SHUT THE FUCK UP! —MGP