We have had the disgruntled patron who bellows about the perceived injustice.  We have had those disengaged from the reality around them. I’ve been yelled at and called names by young men, angry at whatever rule I was trying to enforce. I’ve cajoled and threatened to get the unruly patron to behave appropriately or leave. While I do not enjoy this aspect of our work, it rarely bothers me.

In the past month, however, I had a new experience.  A young male patron locked himself in our public rest room. This alone would be a little odd, but not notable. The difference in this case, was when after thirty minutes passed and I went to knock and inquire on his wellness, he growled at me. This exchange occurred three times.  Each successive growl was more fierce sounding then the one’s before it.

I was at a loss. A growl hardly seemed justification to call the police; no law was being challenged nor even library policy. Still, this response to simple questions, “are you alright?” was shockingly chilling.

Thankfully, our growler soon left both the restroom and the building. We reported the incident to our local police, noting we were doing so, only because it was odd.  I was glad that I did. Despite our very sketchy physical description, the police knew the individual instantly. In this case, we learned that our growler was visiting neighbor libraries and did have a criminal history. He is a juvenile, so information is limited, as is our recourse. We received the generally unhelpful advice to ‘keep an eye on him’ and intercede if he approached children. An ominous request.

All in all, while the incident was unsettling and made the library’s staff nervous, our growler did not and has not actually violated any library or town policy or law. The situation did however, prompt us to review all our security measures and posting of emergency phone numbers. It has also prompted me to spend a great deal more time considering our limited protective options.

Having worked in city libraries where police are local and security guards are on staff, I know that not all are in the same position as we are. While urban problems are often more severe, in our circumstance, our police station is 20 miles away and we operate with few neighbors and an all female staff. Our incidents are thankfully few and far between, thus there is no justification or budget to hire security.  Still, how to keep staff safe and feeling secure?

At this writing, we have posted the police’s dispatch number in various locations along with several town employees who have offered to come hang out should any of us feel uncomfortable and want a more intimidating presence. Some have suggested staff carrying pepper spray in the building. I am not comfortable with any of these options, but what to do?

The post The Growler first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Not only do libraries face those with mal intent and mischief, items are frequently misplaced or misshelved and the library must undergo an inventory audit to see if they can find the materials.  Take for example, the Boston Public Library when a Rembrandt and Dürer, valued at about $1 million, went missing only to be recovered in the library months later after an eight-week search. ²

So, while investigations are quietly underway for recent thefts, what about unsolved book mysteries from 20, 30, 40 or 80 years ago? We can only speculate what public treasures are waiting to be discovered in hidden safes, basements, trunks and cardboard boxes around the world. Take for example New York resident, Margaret Tanchuck, who was cleaning her late father’s jewelry store when she happened upon an old manuscript by Benjamin Franklin and several centuries-old Bibles and books.³

How do we recognize these rare gems when we find them—quite possibly for sale in our friends’ book stores? Would you recognize either one of these stolen books?

1. First Edition of Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce
   “First edition, no. 206 OF 425 copies. Signed by Joyce. Original brick red buckram, gilt titling on spine, edges untrimmed and mostly unopened. In the original (very slightly soiled) yellow cloth slipcase, and housed in an extremely attractive modern dark red morocco-backed folding box.” For more information.
2. First American Edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
   “Scholastic Press, 1999, first American edition (first printing), insignificant and quite small grayish mark to a tiny section of the b.p.e.’s, else fine in like pictorial dw. Signed by both the author and the illustrator. Quite scarce thus.” For more information.

You can find more information on stolen or missing books listed with the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers who maintain a database of stolen books.

Among the stolen and missing authentic materials also exist forged documents such as those fashioned by author turned forger and thief, Lee Israel, in the early 1990s with a collection of antique Remingtons, Royals, Adlers and Olympias.⁴

This year, the interest in book theft and forgeries will continue to soar with the release of two movies:

• Melissa McCarthy plays Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
•  American Animals, the movie depicting the 2004 college-based book heist at Transylvania University (KY).

As long as books are valued book theft is inevitable. Public libraries with special and and rare book departments must secure their collections to protect these cultural artifacts from thieves and forgers.

References

[1] Bob Warburton, Library Journal, April 3, 2018. Suspects but No Answers in Rare Book Theft at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Library.

[2] Lisa Peet, Library Journal, June 11, 2015. UPDATE: BPL’s Lost Artwork Recovered Following Ryan’s Resignation

[3] Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times, April 27, 2015. Did a book bandit pilfer rarities from N.Y. Public Library?

[4] Margalit Fox, The New York Times, January 7, 2015. Lee Israel, a Writer Proudest of Her Literary Forgeries, Dies at 75

The post Rare Book Thefts Among Us first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

City records revealed a sharp increase in 911 service calls from the Denver Library. Denver 911 received 18 calls for assaults and fights at the library in just the first four months of 2017.  911 had only received four calls from the library during the same time period the year before. Sexual assault calls from the library have also increased by 83 percent.  But the highest increase in calls was for drug overdoses. There were 44 calls for overdoses and there weren’t any calls in that category last year. Overall, 911 operators have received more than twice as many calls through April 2017 than they did in the same months last year at the Denver Public Library central branch. [1]

“We know that in this city and all over this country we have an opioid epidemic that’s taking place — there’s no need to hide from it,” Mayor Michael Hancock said. “We know for some reason — probably the uniqueness of the library – that these individuals are attracted to the library.” [2]

Since the first report, 911 operators received more calls from the library in May than it did in any other month in the last three years. While most of the calls were for medical problems including falling and trouble breathing, criminal offenses such as drug use and trespassing were still a problem.  

City officials including councilman Wayne New, believe one of the reasons for the increase in crime and overdoses is more people are being moved off the streets, because of Denver’s urban camping ban. While the library has provided services for the homeless by hiring two full-time social workers, the increase in crime and drug abuse has caused a shift in security protocols.  

Denver has recognized the issue and has increased police patrols in and around the library including 200 hours on-duty patrol and another 100 hours off-duty. Officers have made at least 19 arrests relating to trespassing and drug use since the change.

“I think it’s more of a deterrent than anything,” said City Librarian Michelle Jeske. “They’re very visible in the building. I think that makes staff feel comfortable and I think it has also pushed people out who were not partaking in the best the activities.”

According to a report after the undercover investigation, the city has allocated additional funds for more security cameras and are considering a plan to remodel the shelving to reduce the number of possible hiding places in the library. The Denver Public Library also plans to hire four more security guards as well as two more peer navigators who will help connect people suffering from addiction or need help finding housing. According to Jeske, sixty-two members of the staff have been trained on how to administer naloxone, an anti-overdose nasal spray. The staff have used the product nine times to prevent potentially fatal overdoses since the beginning of the year. [3]

Overall, the library staff believe they have seen improvements over the last month and the increased security, police presence, and public awareness has helped create a more welcoming and safe environment.  

References

1. Jojola, J., Wilcox, K., & Vap, N. (2017, May). Undercover Investigation: Overdoses and crime skyrocket at downtown library. Denver 9News. Retrieved from http://www.9news.com/news/local/investigations/undercover-investigation-overdoses-and-crime-skyrocket-at-downtown-library/440247035
2. Jojola, J. & Wilcox, K. (2017, May). Mayor acknowledges crime at Denver Public Library, as police increase patrols. Denver 9News. Retrieved from  http://www.9news.com/news/local/investigations/mayor-acknowledges-crime-at-denver-public-library-as-police-increase-patrols/441349001
3. Jojola, J. & Wilcox, K. (2017, June). Denver Public Library makes changes after 9News’ undercover report. Denver 9News. Retrieved from http://www.9news.com/news/local/investigations/denver-public-library-makes-changes-after-9news-undercover-report/453174736

The post Denver Public Library Works to Improve Library Safety first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

“The library also has a social worker and six formerly homeless health and safety associates who scour the Main Library and its 27 branches and provide outreach to those in need. Plus there are city police officers assigned to work overtime in and around the Main Library.”  In addition, SFPL is considering training staff members on how to administer Naloxone if they were to encounter someone overdosing in or around the library. This training and participation will be voluntary, and not mandatory for the staff. Naloxone is administered by leg injection or by nasal spray. If this training/program happens, library staff members will be taught how to use the nasal spray.

“City police and emergency workers have long been trained how to administer naloxone, which has been in use for decades. The overdose prevention project, operating on a $245,000 annual budget, not only provides the drug, but also trains participants to identify signs of overdosing and how to dispense the lifesaving medication.”

References

Ross, Matier &. 2017. “SF library workers may get training to save heroin addicts’ lives.” San Francisco Chronicle, March 19.

The post Preventing Overdoses in the Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

In the UK, the Open+ libraries project puts the keys in the hands of residents. When the library is unstaffed, users enter via a card reader and enter a pin to access material. Security cameras monitor the stacks, and the library even closes using an automated system.³

There are major concerns about this model, though. While projects like the one in Milwaukee provide automated 24 hour access, and other cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn, are looking to co-locate libraries in housing projects (to save money on facilities and serve the populations who most need their services), others like those in Washington State look at the staffless option.⁴  This seems like a great idea at first glance: saving money and letting patrons use technology to serve themselves. However there is a threat to security on many levels.

Physical Security

The concern about violence in libraries is real, along with concerns about drug use and other illegal activities. Staff in places like San Francisco and other jurisdictions are even receiving training about recognizing the signs of an overdose and administering first aid until emergency personnel can arrive.⁵

Without physical staff, some questions are raised: Who monitors the cameras? Who responds to such emergencies? What will the blind spots in the cameras be (like restrooms), and how will they be dealt with? The prevention of theft is a significant concern as well. Certainly a card system and cameras help, but cards and pins can be stolen and hacked, and identities can be hidden from cameras.

Cybersecurity

As for cyber threats, library systems have been looking for ways to protect themselves. Giving patrons access to the library when it is unstaffed means leaving computer systems open to even more attacks.⁶ If a person can access an internal terminal physically, he or she can also bypass encryption. They can also do so by obtaining valid administrative passwords using phishing emails or other software, thereby opening up the system to remote attack. Encryption is good, but if fraudsters have a password or physical access to the system, it is entirely ineffective.

The solutions are similar to the steps you would take to avoid personal credit card fraud: using two step authentications, strong passwords that are changed often, and reviewing privacy settings on both servers and public computer terminals. However, time has proven that none of these are foolproof.⁷

Libraries may look at what happened in St. Louis and think there is no way it will happen to them. However, libraries are targeted for the same reasons small businesses are, and face similar dangers; a well-timed and executed denial of service (DNS) or ransomware attack can nearly ruin a library system in a matter of days, if not hours. Recovery costs can be outrageous.⁸

Risk vs. Reward

When undertaking any library project, each district must evaluate for themselves the risks and rewards. While saving money with automated and staffless libraries may be a solution in some areas, it is clearly not the solution across the board.

There are risks to cutting staff. But the risks are greater than physical or cyber threats. The biggest risk is losing the humanity that makes a library a library. No one knows better the resources in a particular area, or how to dig up that obscure fact, than a reference librarian.

Automated checkout has its place. Computer databases and artificial intelligence make research even faster. Still, no automated system can offer a friendly smile, a helping hand, and an eye to security that provides an immediate response to problems as they occur.

References

¹http://www.citynews.ca/2017/03/18/staff-less-public-library-pilot-project-raising-concerns-safety/

²http://milwaukeenns.org/2014/10/09/new-express-library-at-westlawn-gardens-offers-residents-easy-access-to-books/

³http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2014/04/the-unstaffed-fully-self-service-library.html

⁴http://www.techsoupforlibraries.org/spotlight/washington-library-increases-service-by-giving-patrons-the-keys

⁵https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2016/10/just-say-no-keeping-your-library-drug-free-and-safe/

⁶https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2017/03/protecting-your-library-from-ransomware/

⁷https://www.fiscaltiger.com/crime-punishment-credit-card-fraud/

⁸https://findyourcontext.education/blog/articles/why-cybercriminals-target-small-businesses/

The post Checking Out Securely: The Challenge of Staffless Libraries first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

A side effect of the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution is that almost any institution, including the library, is vulnerable to cyber-attacks of one kind or another. A well-executed ransomware attack can bankrupt a business or a library system in a matter of days. What can you do to protect yourself? There are a number of simple steps you can take to protect your library.

Be Aware

A recent study shows that 69 percent of Americans feel that the threat of cyber-attacks is greater than it was five years ago. Yet when asked, “to what extent do you feel safe from hackers?” 55 percent said they felt safe, while only 45 percent did not. Of that 45 percent, only 17 percent felt very unsafe. While people seem aware of the rise of cyber-crime, they often assume it won’t happen to them. The attacks on the libraries in St. Louis show that, although most libraries feel safe, cyber criminals can (and will) attack almost any kind of institution or business that is vulnerable.

Demand Security

The worst passwords of 2016 are similar to those of 2015 despite the rise in cyber-crime. Top of the list for personal passwords is still “123456,” followed closely by “password.” These passwords are gateways to sensitive information. “[A password] is akin to locking the door on your house; it won’t stop a dedicated burglar, but it prevents casual theft,” says Shawn Surber, a cyber-security consultant. Encourage employees, especially those with access to the more vital parts of the computer systems, to have excellent passwords. A twelve-to-fourteen-character password with both capital and lowercase letters and at least one symbol or special character are best. Require employees to change passwords regularly and train them on how to keep their passwords secure.

Isolate Your Public Network

This is simple yet vital. If your public network is slowed for any reason, including high traffic, remind staff that under no circumstances is it okay to give out the administrative Wi-Fi password. The IT department typically will have constructed protections and firewalls to prevent hackers from accessing the network, but if an employee inadvertently gives out the key to the front door, so to speak, none of those defenses will be effective.

Have a professional check your system regularly. New virus updates, new methods of attack, and many other advances are emerging in both security and hacker practices. Using software that employs machine learning, a disruptive force in cyber security, enables your system to learn from each attempted attack.

Don’t Be Afraid

Ransomware attacks are on the rise, but you can make yourself less of a target by becoming more security-conscious. In the end, the St. Louis libraries restored services, and no ransom was paid. “An attempt to hold information and access to the world for ransom is deeply frightening and offensive to any public library, and we will make every effort to keep that world available to our patrons,” said Waller McGuire, executive director of St. Louis libraries. “The real victims of this criminal attack are the library’s patrons.”

When an institution is attacked, it is often a gut reaction to withdraw completely from the area where the security breach occurred. Avoid this reaction. Your patrons still need your services, and your job is still to provide them to the best of your ability. Hire cyber-security professionals, or utilize those employed by your city or county. The need for cyber-security professionals is far outpaced by the number available at all levels of government and the private sector, so they may be busy. Wait for them.

You will be vulnerable to attack—all public institutions and all businesses are, as long as we continue to operate connected to the Internet. Be aware, demand security, do what you can to isolate your private network.

The post Protecting Your Library from Ransomware first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Customer service experience
Since it’s their job to constantly patrol the library, your security workers will come in contact with patrons for many reasons other than safety or loss prevention. Make sure you choose security staff that is able to assist the public with general library logistics such as finding different sections, explaining checkout rules, and which programs are occurring on a specific day. The extent of this may vary between large branches with full-coverage staff and small locations that need more help, but every security worker should be aware of what peripheral needs might come up.

Physical requirements
Make the physical requirements for any security positions absolutely clear in your job listing. If applicants do not realize that they will be standing or walking for their whole shift or that they will be expected to help lift boxes of books or help set up furniture for programs, you may unintentionally hire someone who is unqualified. Stress the physical requirements from the beginning to guarantee that you choose the right fit for your location.

Technology savvy
Another job point that doesn’t seem obvious but becomes crucial immediately, security workers must be familiar with basic word processing and email at the very least, to create and file incident reports. This is a skill that is rapidly becoming universal, but don’t take it for granted in all your applicants. If your library has its own security system set up, your security workers will need to either be familiar with it or able to learn how to use it properly for the safety of all staff and patrons.

Flexible schedules Your security workers will have to cover more than just the hours your library is open. They will be your first line of contact if anything goes wrong overnight or whenever the library is supposed to be empty. To truly secure the library, they need to be willing to respond to alarms; help cover late, early, or distant events; and keep your materials, staff, and customers secure at all times.

What do you look for in security staff? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Further Reading

Melanie Griffin, “I’m Not Actually a Librarian: Volunteer Coordinator,” Public Libraries Online, January 25, 2016.

Melanie Griffin, “Safety & Security Workers Are An Integral Part of Library,” Public Libraries Online, April 15, 2016.

The post I’m Not Actually a Librarian: Security Staff first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Your library staff and patrons deserve the security of mind that comes with a security team. They can help with:

• Regulating unruly customers.
  As painful as it is to admit, not all who walk into the library are looking to enrich their lives peacefully. Fortunately, a good security worker can defuse a situation before it gets out of hand, whether it’s ejecting someone who is intoxicated or helping a lost child find their parent.
• Keeping buildings and collections up to safety codes
  In conjunction with maintenance staff, security officers also work with local safety officials to make sure all areas of the library (including physical storage areas) comply with fire codes and any other physical safety measures that must be taken, whatever the shape of the building.
• Protecting both patrons and employees during emergencies
  Ideally, all staff would know exactly what to do in case of a sudden fire, structural collapse, tornado, or on-the-job injury. Security workers strive toward that optimism while staying alert to the busy realities of everyday work life. They are there not only for direction and guidance during a real disaster but may also provide training or disaster drills.
• Coordinating and updating building access.
  As the eyes and ears of the library, security officers are in charge of the flow between the public and staff-only areas. This includes keeping updated, ongoing records of new and exiting employees—including volunteers, staff from other locations, members present for library board meetings, and cleaning, construction, or other third-party workers—not only to make sure only those authorized are coming and going but also to track where keys and access cards are at all times. In conjunction with human resources or on its own, the safety and security office can help keep the library’s backstage free and clear of trespassers.

Library security is an often-overlooked but incredibly important job on both a day-to-day and big-picture basis.

Further Reading:

Griffin, Melanie. “I’m Not Actually a Librarian: Volunteer Coordinator.” Public Libraries Online. January 15, 2016.

The post Safety & Security Workers Are An Integral Part of Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

I am a strong believer that librarians should be considered mandated reporters nationwide. We work in one of the few professions that see preschool children and their parents. We are in a position to see the interaction between child and adult and see this relationship unfold at time when a parent may not be particularly on guard. Likewise, we are also in the position to have unguarded conversations with seniors and can often gain insight based on the kinds of questions a senior asks.

In my state, librarians are not mandated reporters. Consequently, we receive no training and no direction for what to do if we have suspicions. Without this, our perceptions are not recognized as legitimate. This became painfully apparent to me and my staff recently.

A male patron, who appeared to be the father of two young girls, began coming to our library. My staff brought him to my attention because of things that they overheard in the man’s interactions with the girls. They reported extremely racist, sexist, and politically inflammatory comments. They reported what sounded like threats, “You better find a book or I’ll tell you one of my stories, and we know what happens then.” But we all agreed, while we found these things disturbing, they were not grounds for action.

Their visits were infrequent. They purchased books from the used rack, but didn’t check anything out. No one knew their name. So we started to pay attention. On a couple of occasions I tried to engage one of the girls in conversation. She appeared scared, avoided eye contact, and answered in monosyllabic responses with as little information as possible. The situation made everyone uncomfortable, but we didn’t know what to do.

One day, one of the girls, unbeknownst to her father, wandered to look in the stacks; I wandered to shelve nearby. When the man found her, he was clearly irate. “There’ll be no food for you tonight, and none til you prove you can behave,” he announced. I tried to intervene and explain the girl had done nothing wrong, but I was informed she knew the rules and clearly hadn’t followed them. Fearing a worse fate for the child if I persisted, I stopped.

Immediately after this exchange they left the library. Considering his promise to withhold food a clear threat, we called the police and our local children’s and family services department. One of my staff had spied their license plate, an out of state plate.

In our case, we fear our report did little good. Because of the out of state license plate, both our state and the state of origin kept referring us back and forth to the other. Neither ever took ownership. The police were patronizing. They explained that we were only librarians and that police couldn’t arrest people we didn’t like! We tried to explain. Ultimately they told us there was nothing they could do. We have not seen these patrons again.

It is a situation that haunts us. We cannot help but wonder if we were considered a mandated reporter, might we have been able to cite something more concrete? Would we have been taken more seriously? Might there have been something that could have been pursued?

The post Should Librarians Be Mandated Reporters? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Generally the opinion of some library people is that they don’t have to be especially secure because they are libraries. The idea is security through obscurity. However, all that does is cause libraries to play a waiting game. It is not a question of IF there will be a problem, but when.

Libraries have a plethora of computers with good bandwidth and servers with lots of space. By the very nature of libraries wanting to provide open access, they are a target for potential hackers. Open access is both a tenant of who we are as libraries and extremely important. It is not our intent, at all, to say there should not be open access! However, we must provide this service with our eyes open — knowing it could come back to bite us later. This mode of thinking isn’t meant to scare you, but to cause you to stop and think.

In order to continue to provide the best access possible, we pose the following questions:

When was your last security audit? Have you checked to see that all your recent computer updates installed properly? Did it fix security holes or make the existing ones bigger? Getting someone to do a security audit is similar to getting someone to do a home inspection. There are plenty of people you can call, but you want someone who really knows what he or she is doing so it saves you time and money later on. To find a good security auditor you want to check with current and previous customers of your potential contractor. Are they pleased with the service they received? Did they feel it was worth the money?

Have you kept up-to-date with your updates? Sometimes something as innocuous as not updating a browser plug-in like Flash or Acrobat can be a problem. Are all your Windows updates done? Is your anti-virus up-to-date?

How good are your back-ups? This is one of those questions that can strike fear into your heart. The idea is that back-ups are there if you have a problem, but do you know if they would even help you? Have you ever tried to restore anything from one? This is just about checking to see that the files you are backing up are ones you can actually use. How often are you rotating your back-ups? What length of time do you back up your files? A day? Two days? Do you set one of your back-ups aside every so often to make sure you are not preserving compromised data that has been backing up onto what you would use to restore all your files if necessary?

Have you checked your technological band-aids? Sometimes changes to systems are made in the heat of the moment to accommodate immediate needs. Have you gone back and made sure they were done in the best possible way? Someone placed those band-aids in the best possible way at the time, but that may not be the best long-term fix for the problem.

How are you managing all your updates? There are programs like Ninite (https://ninite.com) and Wpkg (http://wpkg.org/) that can help you manage your non-Microsoft applications updates.  Are you paying attention and checking regularly for your Windows programs updates as well?

Are you ignoring security concerns because you have Apple devices? There is the belief that if you run devices from Apple that you will not be a target for hacking. That is not wholly true. It is true that there are not as many Apple computers to target as Windows computers, but that again is security through obscurity or quantity. Recently Apple has had some security issues so staying updated on your iOS updates and Apple applications updates are important. There are programs like “Get Mac Apps” (http://www.getmacapps.com/) that function similarly to Ninite and Wpkg for Windows devices that manage updates.

My IT person says you guys are wrong! We’re okay with that. Everyone will have local concerns and parameters that make different levels or types of security better or worse for them. Security can’t impede workflow or be so lax that it’s nonexistent. In the end, if you are staying up to date with your virus protection and different program updates, you should be fine. But sticking your head in the sand and pretending security isn’t an issue won’t protect you from anything either. As long as you and your local security person have talked and made a plan that works for your library, then our work has been done.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post Protecting Your Library Against a Data Breach first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Public libraries are not immune to crime. Library directors and administration have a responsibility to ensure their staff has a safe place to work. Library staff members have a responsibility to ensure their library is a safe and welcoming place. How can we ensure our libraries are welcoming places?

Policies

Establish clear policies and guidelines. It is important to clearly communicate to both staff and patrons what is acceptable and appropriate library use. Consistently enforcing the standards is fundamental in creating a library culture that is welcoming to all. Whether it is an argument or a fistfight, rules around disruptive behavior are essential in creating a welcoming atmosphere. It is difficult to feel welcome if other patrons are allowed to engage in disruptive behavior.

Does your library have an unattended child policy? Under what circumstances might children be allowed in the library without supervision? Be clear with parents that the library is a public place, much like a park. Let parents and caregivers know that staff do not control who might be present in the building.

Be proactive

Create a relationship with law enforcement officials or security personnel before you are in the middle of a major incident. Start a conversation with your local police department. Let them know about the types of incidents that may come up in the future. Discuss how best to handle them and what resources are available. Talk to them about issues you’ve seen in the past or trends they are seeing in the community.

Check your state’s privacy policy and be sure you understand what information you are allowed to share about a patron’s library activity. Does your state limit sharing of information about a patron’s presence in the library? What types of information does data privacy law limit? It is important to understand these boundaries before a situation arises.

Most library school curriculums do not spend a lot of time covering what to do if a patron is found defacing library property or engaged in a sex act in the bathroom. Train yourself in how to deal with difficult situations. The Black Belt Librarian and Verbal Judo are both great resources for developing skills and strategies.

Address situations

Smaller disruptions can be gateways for bigger issues. A minor argument in the teen area can become a heated fight if allowed to escalate. Patrons need to be empowered to speak up if they see someone committing a crime. Staff should be open to hearing about questionable incidents and address or report them. Make observing activity in the library part of your routine workflow.

Tackling crime in the library is a long-term ongoing process. Focus should begin in changing perceptions about the library. Educate your patrons and let them know that the library is not a “safe” place to leave children unattended. Deal with inappropriate behavior whenever it occurs. Be observant and vigilant in dealing with smaller situations. This sends a message that inappropriate behavior is not tolerated. Keep the bar for disruptive behavior low to discourage more serious activities.

As libraries, our mission is to promote free speech and idea sharing. As librarians, we have a responsibility to serve the public each day. We are charged with creating an inviting environment that is safe for patrons. By setting high standards for appropriate behavior, being proactive in dealing with situations, and involving law enforcement or security personnel when necessary, we can help to prevent crimes and create public spaces where respect is a basic expectation.

Additional Resources

ALA Tools: Safety and Security

American Libraries Live: Library Security

Graham, W. The Black Belt Librarian: Real World Safety & Security, American Library Association, Chicago, IL, 2011.

Difficult Patron Behavior: Success Stories from the WebJunction Community

Thompson, G.J. and Jenkins, J.B. Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion, HarperCollins, New York, NY, 2013.

Cover Image Credit: Ildar Sagdejev

The post Library Security is Everybody’s Job first appeared on Public Libraries Online.