You are sitting in the library, trying to concentrate on your work and although you hear people whispering you are able to manage.

Suddenly, a cell phone rings, the person answers, and what seemed to be a brief greeting, as in “I’m in the library, I’ll call you back,” turns into “I can’t hear you very well, what?”

The person on the cell tries to understand what is being said at the other end of the line, but remains seated.

Other times, the person on the cell will walk out of the library, but will insist on talking while on the way out.

In these types of situations, you know more than what you need or care to know. The person on the cell gets louder, and there is an audience forming in the near vicinity.

It defeats the purpose of going to the library, doesn’t it?

The issue here boils down to this word: consideration.

And we do not intend to infringe on anyone’s right to use a cell phone. All we’re saying is, if you are in the library, remember what you are there for.

In many cells you can access a menu and, depending on the menu format, you can select “silent” as a profile you will temporarily choose for your phone. That is the first step in showing consideration.