Cellphone Policy in the Library

It’s 11:30 a.m, you are in the library and you have finished an assignment. What’s the next logical thing to do? Take out your cellphone of course! After you take it out and start going through your text messages and social media, you suddenly hear “put your phone away.” You then become angry, and think of how unfair it is that you are forced to put your phone in a different place, and feel that the cell phone policy should be different.

The Hopkins Academy library cell phone policy was mostly created because when people were supposed to be at the library to complete assignments, instead they often took out their phones and went on social media, texted, etc…rather than working. Furthermore, it has been argued that if you need to do something, such as look something up on the internet, write an email, complete an assignment online, etc, one should go on a chromebook or desktop rather than take out their phone. Although the reasons why the policy exists seem reasonable, there has been some debate about whether students should be allowed to use phones when it is appropriate (such as texting parents, using it once an assignment is completed, etc) without asking permission. For example, after finishing an assignment, going on social media or texting your parents seems innocent as you are not disturbing anybody. But according to the current cell phone policy, you are not allowed to do this without asking permission.

Most students, such as Felicia Fil think, “as long as you are being productive by completing your assignments, you should be allowed to use your phone without asking. This is of course as long as you are not being disruptive to others.” Another student says, “Let’s be honest here. Times have changed, it is not the 1960’s anymore. Phones are a vital way of daily communication with your peers, family members and teachers.” This student feels, just like Felicia, that if you are quiet and undisruptive of others students, then you should be allowed to use your phone in the library without asking.

It’s obvious that both of these students share similar views; students should not be allowed to use their phones in the library if they’re still completing an assignment or are supposed to be doing otherwise. A lot of people tend to finish their assignments early, and often there is no other thing to do but sit around and wait for their peers to finish. Why shouldn’t there be a brief period of time where students are able to wind down and relax after working hard to complete their work? This all requires, however for you to not take away from others’ concentration or productivity. If all of this is done, then why not allow students to use their cellphones at their own discretion?