First, not everyone in a record room is an examiner. These are public records and that means that the public can come in and use the room. Some of these people bring their children and allow them to run wild and make noise.
Second, sometimes examiners have little choice but to bring their children and as long as the child is well-behaved, there shouldn't be an issue with them being there because it is a public space. There were times I brought my teen-aged sons with me and they actually were able to assist me by pulling the books or microfilm tapes that I needed to look at for searches. When my daughter was ten, she started coming with me because she was homeschooled. She brought her bag of work and sat on a stool at a counter and did it while I did my research. If she didn't have work to complete, she would bring a book and sit down to read quietly while I worked. This is acceptable because record rooms are public places.
I have almost always worn jeans and t-shirts to work in record rooms. They are clean and free from holes. I conduct myself professionally while there. If I have to get on my knees to pull large books in dusty rooms or find files tucked away in basements as part of the job, expecting me to dress professionally is outrageous. When I had to work all day in an office, I did dress more professionally; on days when I was only there in the morning to pick up the day's work, I dressed for the job I was doing. I believe I was hired for my excellent research skills and not my professional wardrobe. I frequently used to bring my lunch with me and eat it in the hallway, but there were people who ordered food to be delivered when necessary and ate it in the "examiner's room" when and where that was an option. Examiners did not actually eat in the room with the books.
If you think anyone you are not paying a salary to has to dress to your standards, you might need to reconsider what you think is important. I have been working in and out of record rooms since 1985 - back when there were ashtrays and candles in some record rooms - ashtrays for the smokers and candles in case of a power outage - so, I have also seen a lot of changes. In my opinion the best one is being able to mostly work from home and not have to deal with traffic and people who don't know others' situations judgmental attitudes.
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