Had to change libraries
 

I have stopped going to the Sumter County library on Powell Road, and now I use the library near the Pimlico rec center. The reason is the extremely noisy automatic doors at the entrance. These doors can be heard clanging constantly throughout the entire library. The employees also hate the doors, but have apparently given up trying to get them fixed. I have filled out the complaint form, and even wrote a personal letter to the county, but did not receive any reply. Has anyone else been irritated by this issue?

The public libraries I have worked or volunteered in were very noisy. That is a sign of a library staff getting their resources out to the community. The academic libraries were more for studying and the like where you could get silenced by other library users or the library workers.

You may want to check out Lady Lake Public Library. It is set up so that they have a lot of community rooms away from a quiet area. It does cost $20 a 6 month period for Sumter County residents but the DVD/Blu-Ray and number of copies of popular books is well worth it.

They have some very comfortable chairs and a nice area to study in the Lady Lake Library regular area. Children's libraries can get quite noisy.

The library on Belvedere is quiet you are right. At least, whenever I have been in there.

You would think that they would get that automatic door fixed though at the Powell Road library. You should contact whoever manages that library and not so much the front desk people who could just be volunteers?

OP, if you go up the stairs, you will be at the receptionist desk for Sumter County, they might be able to help.

Keep in mind that the operation of the Sumter county libraries was outsourced a couple of years ago. The people you see there work for the contractor, NOT the county, so you may need to contact some sort of county facility manager.

I will try going upstairs. But, I have already sent a letter, complaint form, and a personal email to Leslie Smith, who is the head of administrative services. No reply so far. The library employees acknowledge and are well aware of the problem, but they say that the county will not fix it.

This is the contractor who manages the Sumter County library. Not sure who would be in charge of the automated door though.
That may be someone else entirely.

Our Libraries | Lsslibraries



Would not hurt to contact them as a library user.

The library manager told me that the county in responsible for building maintenance, and that the library has notified the county about the door problem, but they won't fix it. I have contacted Leslie Smith, who is the head of the county administrative services according to the county website. Maybe someone else has another contact.

Well there is usually strength in numbers. You get more people contacting the right person and then someone might fix the door.

Good luck. I will put a link to this thread on my Facebook account which might help. Others could get their Facebook friends involved as well.

I would also contact the Villages Daily Sun unless you have already. Check who covers what in the latest edition. They have e-mail addresses listed.

What about good see of ear plugs, are these doors automatic? If not I don’t see how manual doors with return shock and be so noisy that Adjustment or lubrication wouldn’t solve.

I think they were noisy the last time I was in there which was many months ago. That is not a library I use much. Once or twice a year if that.

Wife and I use that library, and I fully agree about the auto doors. I mentioned it to one of the librarians, and her response was, 'you get used to it, but it takes a long time.'
I take my hearing aids out. Deafness has its advantages some times!

Does anybody know exactly what the problem is with the doors? Would a can of WD-40 solve the problem?

Why don’t you just checkout the book and take it home? You certainly should be able to control the noise level in your own home.

You have a Public Library that you have to PAY to use for 6 months? And another one that's subcontracted? That's so sad. Doesn't Florida value literacy? I've never heard of such a thing. Are there other states that have public libraries that aren't funded by the state/town/county, or that subcontract to - to who exactly? Library subcontractors? Wow - insane. I'm just gobsmacked. As for the doors - well if it were a normal library the town would take care of it. Because - literacy.

WD-40 will not stop the metal on metal clanging noise every 10 seconds or so while you are trying to look at reading material. The doors were not installed properly. Yes, they can be fixed, but they have been broken for about 6 months or so, and no one has done anything to fix them.

Here is the link to the company that manages that library and all of them in Sumter County.

Let's all send a message about the loud banging doors and see what happens.

Contact | Lsslibraries

I see Tal had already shared this information. Sorry, haven't had coffee yet.

There is no charge for Sumter County Library Services.

There is no charge for use of libraries in Sumter County.
I was surprised too when I heard this. Here is more information;

Our Libraries | Lsslibraries

Whoops. Tal already posted the link. Anyway, this section shows how many library system this subcontractor runs in the U.S.

More and more people are reading E books. I like the ones with pages that really turn, but I can't even GIVE my books to friends anymore. I am behind the times. Times, they are a changin'.

Suggestion
 

With this and other similar issues, you must realize that the person you have written to and e-mailed to likely never sees what you have sent. Typically this stuff is filtered by a secretary.

I've not done it in many years so the cost may well have gone up.
At a cost of 5-6.00 you can send a registered, restricted delivery letter. The person who you have directed the letter is supposed to personally sign for it. If, nothing else, your letter will be noticed in the pile of letters these people get everyday.

The doors are tall and made of plastic and when they meet on closing they bang and the vibration causes them to rattle. I would think cost was a major factor. Cheap being the operative word.
Maybe felt or rubber strips could absorb some of the noise.

Silicone caulk would solve the problem. The library can get a tube for $6 at Home Depot. You could even use the bath and kitchen version, which is clear, however it isn't made for doors. The one made for doors is white, which might be unattractive when using it as a noise-proofing barrier between the door and the frame.

One doesn't need to be a construction engineer or architect or handyman to figure this stuff out. One only needs to have once been a housewife at some point in the last 4 decades.

Caulk would be useless in this situation. Caulk seals cracks, gaps, etc. No good between moving parts.

Spoken like someone who hasn't been a housewife even once within the past 40 years.

Silicone caulk is the perfect weatherproof buffer when a door is clanging against the door frame. You don't put it on the joints/hinges. Those aren't what is making noise. What's making noise is the edge of the door (where the doorknob/handle is) clanging against the frame. So you create a rubbery buffer by adding a thin line of caulk from top to bottom of the door near the outer edge.

Then, when the door automatically slams shut, it will make a "FOOF" sound instead of a "KERBLAM" sound.

Two Bills is right. Caulking would not work in this situation.

Must confess I have never been a house wife, but I know how to do housework and can boil water, also, I know where caulk goes, and it is not between moving surfaces.

The owner of the building (my somewhat educated guess - Sumter County) and tell the most important Official you can talk with the ridiculousness and for them to fix the annoying problem. I’m sure they will be “on it”.

We may be getting some action. I got an email from Joseph Duennes and a service ticket No. 223107, and a number for the help desk, 352-568-6699.
Also, the doors were set in the open position at the library, and not operating this morning. Much quieter with the doors open.

“Patience is a virtue”

Go team.

Was at that library today. Doors were locked in the open position. "Problem" solved.

Yes the doors are adjustable every were you go ..but no one knows how too

The library on Powell Rd in Sumter County is a very bare bones type of library. Check out the library in Leesburg and you will notice a big difference...bigger, nicer, quieter, and with numerous services offered.