Legal Commentary

automatic doors make terrible bulletin boards

By David A. Giacalone

..  Granted, the handy rule of thumb you see in our headline is not an earth-shattering piece of wisdom.  It hasn’t been passed down for generations in my family either. But, it came to me rather quickly a few days ago, when I tried to read the notice found at the head of this paragraph.  For the past week or so, that piece of paper has been prominently posted on both entry doors of the Central Library building of our Schenectady County Public Library. Despite several attempts at reading the notice, all I can say for sure at this point is that workmen participating in an Asbestos Abatement Program will be at the 99 Clinton St. Central Library to remove some asbestos sometime soon. Although the information is surely contained in the posted message, I still don’t know which contractor is handling the task nor when the removal will take place, or if the building will be shut down during the operation.

– northern entrance Central Library –

You see, the Notice moves to the left as soon as one approaches it.  That’s ’cause it’s attached to an automatic door that slides open when you get near it, and then slides back rather quickly once you pass through.  Yes, I tried scooting over to peruse the Notice in that moment when the door stops after fully opening, but it begins sliding back to close as soon as one steps out of the entryway.

Sure, I could probably wait for a long line of entering Library patrons to pass through the doorway, or get someone to stand on the sensor pad a few moments, to let me to read the Notice while the door is fully open — or even come back when the Library is closed and the door is locked — but, that’s a lot of work and sort of beside the point for any self-respecting curmudgeon.

I’m going to assume that whoever posted the Notice on those two automatic doors did it when they were locked — otherwise, there should have been an epiphany leading to the discovery of my Terrible Bulletin Board Maxim.  If they were turned on and doing their sliding thing, I’d love to have seen the Affixation Moment, and the look on the Affixer’s face.

.. Southern Entrance SCPL Central Library ..

As you can see, there were quite a few stationary spots near the entrance, where one might have affixed an Important Notice.  Prof. Yabut, our legal issue-spotter, wonders whether an obligation to post a notice could be properly satisfied, when it’s been placed on an automatic door.  If the entire f/k/a Gang had not missed its afternoon nap, we might have tried some quick research to see whether the issue has been adjudicated.  However, even when we’re in procrastination mode, we try to have better things to do with our time and limited energy.  Enterprising law students, associates who have already met their September billable hours quota, or really bored law professors and webloggers out there, are nonetheless encouraged to pursue the legal point and let us know the results of your research or brain-storming.

.. In case you ever have to post a Notice or are contesting whether notice has been properly made, we repeat:  Be it Swinging, Sliding, Telescopic or Bifolding, an automatic door makes a terrible bulletin board.

afterwords (8PM): Thanks to Jo-Ann Schrom for posting this posting at her Rotterdam NY Info site.  As the regulars at the Rotterdam online community regularly have enjoyable and interesting perspectives, I’ll be clicking the link to see what they think of those sliding doors.

May morning
the door opens
before I knock

. . . . by John Stevenson - from Some of the Silence

birdsong
opening the sliding door
in her red pajamas

. . . . by paul m. - A New Resonance 2 & Frogpond XXII:1

through the open door . . .
her smile doesn?t forgive
all my sins

. . . . by Randy Brooks - School?s Out (1999)

Full post as published by f/k/a . . . on September 23, 2008 (boomark / email).