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Public library attached to high school

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 5:29 pm
by Bruin98
The buildings are physically attached. Theres a main entrance to the library but another entrance/exit that physically opens into the high school.

The school is posted 30.06 but the library has a weapons free sign.

Could you legally carry in the library?

Could you, but on weekends only?

Re: Public library attached to high school

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 5:42 pm
by C-dub
That is quite interesting. I guess it would really depends on who actually owns the library. Does the city or county or does the school district?

Posting the 30.06 sign on the school and a weapons free or no-gun sign on the library is also interesting and backwards. The school doesn't need one and if the city owns the library it is unenforceable.

If the library is owned by the city or county then there must be some demarcation or separation of the two. I would suppose that the general public would not have free access to the school even during school hours and certainly not when not in session.

This sounds like a mess or possibly a way/attempt to get around allowing firearms in a public library. How new is this setup?

Re: Public library attached to high school

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:32 pm
by JustSomeOldGuy
I see this kind of search for a free lunch a lot in municipal government......

two additional questions I would ask are
- who hires/pays the library staff? the city, or the i.s.d.?
- is the library open to the public during the hours when school is in session?

generally, when municipalities and independent school districts partner on joint services like this, it's all about theoretical cost sharing/reduction. one building being cheaper than two. one hvac system being cheaper than two. one electric bill being cheaper than two. one custodial staff being cheaper than two.

the problem with the theory is that it's never equal. one organization or the other 'wears the pants' and the service level to the other's clientele suffers. so best case is 'you are paying less, but getting less' and the worst case is 'you are not paying less, but you are getting less'.

and my final observation is "if you want to keep guns out of the public library, partnering with the school system, particulary in gang-ridden areas is a poor way to pursue that" :eek6

Re: Public library attached to high school

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 8:51 pm
by Bruin98
I was back out there today.

1. It's a small east Texas town.
2. Originally it was a school library. Recently it became both (a word I heard a lot today) a public and the school library. It's open till 7pm most days and Saturday. It's staffed by TEA (education) librarians and public librarians. The side that faces the highway says public library. The side that faces school (school built in a u shape) says name of high school. There is a huge gun free drug free sign on side that faces main road. It also says in small letters you risk serious federal and state charges for possessing either. There is no 30.06 sign, but there is one on the main entrance to the school. At 745am one must enter the school. Library was locked.
3. But I dont think it can be both and I think they know that too. It's open to public and at times staffed by city employees. They didnt post a 30.06 which seems to indicate they know they can't if it's a public library. Especially in light of the unnecessarily posted sign on the school door (it is about 50 ft away from the library door).
4. The library is attached but separated from school. The 2 doors that actually open to the high school are magnetically locked and you must be buzzed to use those doors. Again, to me, this indicates it can't be both. It is clearly attached and yet also separate from the school.
5. I talked to a librarian, school secretary and a student (some kind of assistant in library). All said it was both. I never asked if I could possess a gun but my implications were obvious. I got a smile and was told it was both from both adults. The student was clueless to my implications and clearly wasnt sure how to handle my questions.

I'm not going to be the test case but I'd say it's a public library based on my observation. IANAL