An even more pointed example of the the power of the silence tabu in libraries occurred in Duluth in 1981. The police were pursuing a fugitive from justice who ran into the public library. Uniformed police surrounded the building, and the library director was notified that only unobtrusive plainclothesmen were entering the building. Their instructions: When you find him, overpower him. Quietly. It was done, and only a few people in the crowded building saw a handcuffed man being ushered past the checkout counter. See, one librarian remarked quietly to an amazed person, thats what happens when you dont pay your book fines.
