librarian: black belt required?. reality…

LIBRARIAN:Black Belt required?

Misawa Air Base Japan, 1984

South Carolina, 2010

WADO-RYU

SHOTOKAN

SHORIN-RYU

SHORINJIKEMPO

What we wish security was in smalland rural libraries…

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 versus brain storms

maybe their brain jello hasn’t set

Whatever theirpersonal situation,

there’s a reasonto be ready…

• 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‘cha gonna do?Not gonna call g-busters, so…

Instead of brawn, Use brain. Instead of emotion, Use logic.

Library Safety & SecurityWHAT?WHO?WHEN?WHERE?WHY?HOW?

WHAT is Library Safety & Security?

Is it knowing karate

techniques for:

• Non-shushing patrons

• Patrons with more than $5.00 in fines

• Renegade kids in the children’s

area

Some directors think so!

Perhaps there’s more to safety and security

than karate training…

Personnel

Environment

Behaviors

Policies

Procedures

Safety

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…

WHO? YOU.

WHEN?

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?

“If it’s a cloudy daywill they postpone

the eclipse of the sun?

“Do your elevators go upstairs?”

“Who was that Wells guyand how did he buildthat time machine?”

“Who didn’t signthe Declaration of Independence?”

“Can I flex something here?”

“Where are they holding

Elvis and where can I

write to him?”

“Do you have anOrlando newspaper?There’s a bunch of

felony warrantsout for me there

and I want to see ifI’m in the paper.”

Zzz…zzz…zzz

“How late can I use

the computer after you close?”

“Just where the hell is uptown

Charlotte and where isthe damn library?”

Public Library

of Charlotte

Not only do they ask interesting questions but

they do interesting things as well…

FIRE!

STOLEN

You never know who you may get, what they might do, and when & where an event will happen.

That’s WHY you need to be ready.

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.”

WHY BE A “BLACK BELT” LIBRARIAN?

BUT HOW?

Quickly surmise what’shappening before

intervening.

Develop Relationshi

ps

“You must develop relationships with police, social services, and local schools.

If I were a branch manager,I would meet with local police,

tell them what happens in librariesand let them know we have

security procedures, we’re trained, andwe are certainly not going to callthe police unless we need them.

If we call, it’s serious business—so get here as quickly as you can.”

“DEVELOP A TANGIBLE FEELINGWHEN SOMETHING IS NOT

QUITE RIGHT. YOU NEED TOHEED SUCH FEELINGS.

THIS INTUITION IS GIVEN TO USBY NATURE, BUT AS

SPOILED AMERICANS LIVINGIN A RELATIVELY SAFE SOCIETY

OUR GUARD HAS BEEN LOWERED…IF YOU WORK IN A PUBLIC ENTITY

LIKE A LIBRARY…YOU’D BEST GET YOUR INTUITION

BACK.”

SITUATIONALAWARENESS

SituationalAwareness is the abilityto continually be on guard and perceiveactivities within your sensory range—

what is happening,what is going to happen,

and how to react.

It is a perspective and skill that fostersdecision making, to determine

context and relevanceof unfolding events.

COL John Boyd’s OODA loop

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, especiallyin order to make a decision.To pay attention to; regard.

To determine the significance or condition of by careful

appraisal and study.

Things to remember:

“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.”

Develop plans & policies – Borrow them from other libraries.

All library staff members should study and know the policies, rules

and procedures.

Practice situations with staff – think about worst-case scenarios.

The “it won’t happen here” can and will happen; don’t wait until...

Guidelines1. Don’t make a big deal out of confrontation2. Assess, don’t assume3. Approach confidently (but with caution)4. Speak slowly/clearly, no hand gestures5. Start nice then get more authoritative,

never the reverse6. Ignore insulting language7. Be prepared to be accused of prejudice8. Don’t discuss “Why?” Tell the standard

and the consequence, then enforce it9. Don’t negotiate with someone on drugs

and/ or alcohol10.Teens are teens—treat them all fairly

Don’ts1. Don’t leave personal belongings out

2. Don’t count money in front of patrons

3. Don’t leave library keys lying around

4. Don’t leave cash drawers/registers unlocked

5. Don’t ever make night deposits – daytime only

Do’s6. Check all areas before closing

7. Keep back rooms and offices locked

8. Only authorized people in during closed hours

9. If working alone, don’t tell anyone and be alert

10. Follow intuition–if you sense something, act

Keep It So Simple “the KISS principle”

“Keep your rules simple and clarify your guidelines.Don’t get bogged down trying to create a perfect policy.

There is no such thing, and when you discover weaknesses in your procedures you will adjust them.If you are not careful, you can end up with policy that

is so wishy-washy it doesn’t really say anything. Security is a living thing and doesn’t remain fixed.”

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)http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/PublicHealth/MedPrep/Jun-10-11-2009-Commissioned%20Papers/Jun-10-11-2009-Commissioned-Paper-Creating-Situational-Awareness-A-Systems-Approach.pdf