You can't bring that in here!

Ah, the paradoxes of library rules and regulations:

Cameras are not allowed in the library, unless they're digital cameras and you're using them to take pictures of library materials.

Cell phones are not permitted in the library except in designated areas, unless you're using the phone in a non-verbal capacity (which presumably includes camera phones!).

As technology blends the features of one hand-held device with another, it becomes harder and harder to know when to draw the line with a patron. For example: this afternoon I was getting ready to call out a woman standing in line at the Circ Desk for using her cell phone when it became apparent that she was merely checking her voicemail.

Is it merely an infraction of our phone ban if you're not talking? Common sense would say no, but we have been so well-trained to bark at violators of our policy at this point that it's hard to catch oneself before saying something.