LIBRARIAN: Black Belt required?

Reality…

Ki-yaaah!!!

What do we do in libraries? We simply assist patrons in their search for information. However…

some just don’t get the picture Woman walking past a tree toward bridge? Face of a man that looks like Vladimir Lenin?

some aren’t playing with a full deck

other’s lights are on but nobody’s home

a few don’t have both oars in the water

or have splinters in the windmill of the mind

some are shy a couple of bricks

or perhaps they have light showers versusbrain storms

maybe their brain jello hasn’t set

If a large male roaming around the library began screaming profanity at his step-daughter who was quietly doing homework at a computer?

If two teenage males began a verbal altercation at a study table and then one stood up appearing ready to strike the other?

If a teenage female informed you that she was approached by an older patron who asked her for personal information and then he suggested that they take a ride in his car?

If a middle-aged couple, both using computers, loudly and profanely, refused to relinquish the computers when their time had expired?

WHAT? WHO? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW?

WHAT is Library Safety & Security? WHAT is Library Safety & Security? Is it knowing karate techniques for: techniques for: Non-shushing patronsNon-shushing patrons Patrons with more than $5.00 in finesPatrons with more than $5.00 in fines Renegade kids in the children’s areaRenegade kids in the children’s area

Perhaps there’s more to safety and security than karate training…

Personnel Environment Behaviors Policies Procedures

Being free from danger or risk within a facility. Being free from danger or risk from outside a facility.

I can’t find any of the books I want! Now! Let’s look, together…

Libraries - quiet places where thoughtful, intelligent people relax, read, research, and generally find pleasure in the calm atmosphere where there ’ s nothing to worry about. Thoughtful & intelligent?

“Do your elevators go upstairs?”

“Where are they holding Elvis and where can I write to him?”

Zzz…zzz…zzz

Not only do they ask interesting questions but they do interesting things as well…

STOLEN

Many working in libraries don’t think anything bad will happen, especially at their library. True story - A female staff member was closing a small branch library alone… Bad things happen to good people, especially when good people aren’t thinking about and preparing for what could happen. Don’t become a statistic— ”If you are prepared you have no need to fear.”

To observe or detect. To watch closely for purposes of control. To oversee or regulate. To realize beforehand; foresee. To act before another has had time to. To prevent or forestall by taking countermeasures in advance. To think carefully about, especially in order to make a decision. To pay attention to; regard. To determine the significance or condition of by careful or condition of by careful appraisal and study.

“No two security situations are quite alike. Human interaction is always dynamic and never static. Rarely is there a black-and-white solution to an incident; it is almost always gray.” “The whole idea…is to empower you to be able to respond to a situation rather than simply react.”

Guidelines

Don’ts

RESOURCES Baltimore County Public Library, edited by Arlene Anderson. Help Manual: A Guide for Emergency Situations. BCPL (December 1995) - Covers Building Emergencies, Medical Emergencies, Problem Behavior, Service Inquiries and Complaints, Theft/Loss Prevention. The format provides a definition of the problem and action steps that should be undertaken by appropriate staff. Campus Crime Prevention Programs. The complete library safety and security manual: A comprehensive resource manual for academic and public library professionals and law enforcement officers, Goshen, KY (2001) Cravey, Pamela. Protecting Library Staff, Users, Collections and Facilities: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. New York, Neal- Schuman (2001) - Contents include: Library Security Today, An Overview; Security of the General Collection; Security of Users and Employees (especially, Expectations of a Safe Environment); Security of Electronic Files and Systems; Security of Special Collections; Security for Special Events; Library Security: Legal, Personnel, and Vendor Considerations. Especially helpful are sample policies, such as the “Draft Workplace Violence Policy”. Graham, Warren. The Black Belt Librarian, Chicago: American Library Association (2012) Kahn, Miriam B. Disaster response and planning for libraries, 2nd Edition Chicago: American Library Association (2003) McNeil, Beth & Johnson, Denise J. Patron Behavior in Libraries: A Handbook of Positive Approaches to Negative Situations, Chicago: American Library Association (1999) Shuman, Bruce A. Library Security and Safety Handbook: Prevention, Policies, and Procedures. Chicago: American Library Association (1999) - Contents include: Overview: Library Security and Safety, Protecting Materials in Libraries, Problem Behaviors in Libraries, Preparing for and Reacting to Security Incidents in Libraries, Emergency and Disaster Management Policies and Procedures; Legal and Ethical Issues of Security and New Technology, Electronic Security Issues and the Future of Library Security. Toner, Eric S. Creating Situational Awareness: A Systems Approach. (2009) Commissioned-Paper-Creating-Situational-Awareness-A-Systems-Approach.pdf