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This article was downloaded by: [University of Glasgow]On: 11 October 2014, At: 12:57Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK
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Zero Tolerance at the LibraryBetty Braaksma aa Reference Services, Thunder Bay Public LibraryPublished online: 20 Oct 2008.
To cite this article: Betty Braaksma (1998) Zero Tolerance at the Library, Library &Archival Security, 14:2, 43-49, DOI: 10.1300/J114v14n02_06
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J114v14n02_06
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Zero Tolerance at the Library: The Work of the Thunder Bay
Public Library's Security Task Force
Betty Braaksma
ABSTRACT. In recent years, even in cities traditionally noted for lower crime rates, libraries have become targets of incidents of prob- lem behavior. These events have escalated alarmingly in their severity, and now range from boisterous complaints, through sending unsolicit- ed gifts, to bomb threats and potential armed assault. This articlc describes the formation and operation of the Thundcr Bay Public Library's Security Task Force, its work with police, the training regi- men, procedures and practices it has set in place, and the results of its efforts to reverse an alarming trend. [Arlicle copies available for a fee from The Haworth Documet~t Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: gelLtfo@haworthpressit~c. com]
Staff being punched and kicked. Staff threatened with knives, beat- ings, death. Bathrooms trashed, furniture carved up, computers hurled to the floor and smashed.
A prison riot? A really tough inner-city school? No. Welcome to any ordinary day at the modern urban public library.
Libraries have traditionally been thought of as havens of peace and quiet. In spite of changes to libraries that include community outreach, high advertising profiles and electronic resources, the public retains a
Betty Braaksma is Head, Reference Services, Thunder Bay Public Library. Note: Those wishing to see a copy of the Thunder Bay Public Library's
Emergency Procedures Manual are invited to visit the Library's Web site at: http://www. tbpl.thunder-bay.on.ca. Copies are available in Wordperfect or ASCII text formats.
Library &Archival Security, Vol. 14(2) 1998 @ 1998 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 43
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44 LIBRARY & ARCHIVAL SECURITY
vision of the library as the kind of genteel Victorian institution that Sherlock Holmes would have enjoyed.
With that vision comes a naive sense of security. Parents who watch their children with eagle eyes in a mall think nothing of leaving Junior alone as they browse for a book. Students happily leave backpacks open, laptop computers unsecured, and purses are left unattended as their owners do some quick photocopying.
These days libraries, like other public buildings, have become ha- vens for the troubled, the predatofy, the opport&tic, the criminal. Unlike many other public institutions, libraries also promote open access and emphasize friendly personal service. These principles, held dear by all libraries, can also be seen as opportunities for the more ruthless members of society. As Robert Chadbourne pointed out in an article on crime in the library, "say the word 'librarian' and what image do you have? Cooperative? Friendly? Service-oriented? Would a criminal translate that to pushover?" ["Disorderly Conduct: Crime and Disruptive Behavior in the Library," Wilson Library Bullelin, March 1994. pp. 23-25].
Canada shares these problems with our neighbors to the south. All of the unpleasant scenarios presented in the first paragraph have been experienced at the Thunder Bay Public Library, a medium-sized li- brary in the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario (pop. 113,000). An industrial city located on the northwest shore of Lake Superior, Thunder Bay also serves as a medical, commercial and social center for a catchment area that stretches from the Manitoba border to the shores of Hudson Bay. In spite of its remote location, Thunder Bay, like other urban centers, struggles with problems of crime, poverty, homelessness and substance abuse. It also has to cope with cuts to its social support
- -
network. As a holdover from its origin as the twin cities of Port Arthur and
Fort William, Thunder Bay often has two of everything, which is becoming increasingly difficult to support in modern economic times. The city's two urban cores have lately experienced a rapid diminish- ment as businesses move to the central inter-city area and its newly expanded mall.
The Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) system is also a throw- back to those earlier times, with two main libraries. Both the Waverley Street Branch (north) and the Brodie Street Branch (south) are located
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Betiy Braaksma 45
in the old downtown cores. Waverley acts as the administrative hub of the TBPL system, while Brodie serves as the main reference library, but there continues to be some duplication of collections and services. The TBPL system also has two smaller community branches, one north and one south.
Until the early 1990s patrons were accustomed to receiving highly pe'rsonalized attention and the library staff prided themselves on giv- ing a very comprehensive level of service. Cuts to funding were just beginning to be felt but were not causing a great deal of anxiety. There were some instances of stolen materials or difficult patrons, but like many public libraries, TBPL's approach to such incidents was the "three-strikes and you're out" system, whereby patrons caught of- fending were given warnings, but little or no action was taken. Only in extreme cases were patrons asked to leave the building. Police were almost never called, and no security staff were in place.
Beginning in 1993194, library staff started to notice an increase in the number of unpleasant or frightening encounters with patrons. The increase was attributed to several factors, including the closure of beds at a local psychiatric facility, rising unemployment, cuts to library services, and lower tolerance of things like fines by increasingly stressed patrons. Incidents of harassment and abuse were reported on an almost daily basis. Disruptive or dangerous behaviors were becom- ing commonplace.
The problem was brought to the attention of the Chief Librarian and department heads at the monthly "Chief Librarian's Council" meet- ings. At first dismissed as staff hysteria by some Chief's Council members, the concerns soon received more serious attention. A Task Group on Security and Violence in the Workplace was established to look at the problems and develop solutions. The Coordinator of Public Services, who also functions as the Deputy Chief Librarian, was named as its Chair, giving the task group both profile and clout.
The mandate of the Task Group, later renamed the Security Task Force, was "to develop a plan to address staff concerns and look at training and security issues." The inaugural meeting was held on April 19 1995, and consisted of members from every branch and department, with representation from professional, support and custo- dial staff. The Task Force was unique in this respect, as TBPL had long been organized along traditional hierarchical lines.
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46 LIBRARY & ARCHIVAL SECURITY
The group's first tasks were to establish time lines and to look at ways to make the workplace safer. Research was done to investigate similar programs at other libraries and at other workplaces. Staff were consulted for their impressions on library safety. opening and closing procedures were re-examined. Contact was established with a local security firm, which agreed to provide training on workplace security.
An attempt to build a better working relationship with the police was undertaken, as this was an area that staff identified as a problem. Like the rest of the public, the police viewed the library as a safe place and often did not take calls for assistance seriously. A new community policing initiative was seen as an opportunity for the library to make better contact with the force, and the Chief Librarian undertook this task.
With few existing library models to follow, much of the early work of the Task Force was uncertain. Library literature tended to concen- trate on the security of collections, rather than on the safety of staff and patrons. American models of locked access and armed security guards were seen as impractical, expensive and legally problematic. Instead, local Neighborhood WatchIHospital WatchISchool Watch programs were used as blueprints for the emerging "Library Watch" system.
By May of 1995, the idea of using a numbered incident report/ description sheet to identify offenders was examined, along with a more consistent and distributed reporting procedure. Signage was ex- amined and better cash handling procedures in public areas (photo- copiers, cash registers) were put into place. Potential weapons in pub- lic areas were identified and removed: items like staplers, scissors, letter openers and 3-hole punches were no longer available for public use.
Work also began on developing a staff training plan, as it was recognized that "buy-in" by all of the staff was necessary to ensure success of the project. Managers were frustrated that many staff did not take personal responsibility for safety or security but instead pre- ferred to "kick problems upstairs." On the other hand, staff often saw management as being wishy-washy in its support of staff decision- making and feared retribution.
A telephoned bomb threat in June 1995 shocked and galvanized everyone. The awkward handling of the emergency by both library
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Betfy Braaksma 47
managers and police showed that a lot of work had yet to be done on security/safety issues. A positive outcome was that the Task Force gained credibility and began to be seen as a conduit for staff concerns about safety. As a result of the bomb threat, the Task Force also began to look at emergency procedures, as it became clear that emergency response and security were intertwined.
By September of 1995 a definition of the purpose of Library Watch had been written, along with Goals and Objectives and a Workplan. One daunting task was the writing of a Patron Behavior Policy, which was eventually hammered out in consultation with the police and other social service agencies. Legal opinions were sought on the issue of the library's responsibility for unattended children.
Also during that Fall, speakers were brought in to share information about the local psychiatric facility and the homeless shelter, each of which are located near a main downtown library. By year-end all the Security Task Force members had completed a security training work- shop, which included a session on personal safety techniques, i.e., defending yourself if physically attacked. A manual of policies and procedures was being developed, along with a staff training plan.
1996 was the implementation year. The new policies and proce- dures were presented to, and approved by, the TBPL Board. Following that approval, the Security Task Force got to work.
During 1996 a safety/security audit of our buildings was done, and steps were taken to make them less welcoming for problem patrons. These measures included:
the installation of security cameras and convex "convenience store" mirrors. installation of a warning buzzer system throughout the main branches. relocation of shelving to provide for better sight lines and to eliminate dead ends where staff or patrons could be trapped. relocation of furnishings to provide for better sightlines and less opportunities for vandalism or unacceptable behavior. removal of upholstered furnishings and replacement with study tables. prominent postings of the library's revised Behavior Code and Unattended Children Policy.
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placement of red "Emergency Pouches" at main public service desks. These contain staff telephone lists, emergency services phone numbers, a roll of coins, signs and some basic first-aid equipment. (Pouches are used whenever the building is cleared due to an emergency.)
The new heads-up securityJemergency philosophy was shared with the rest of the staff during 1996 in a unique collaboration between management and staff. Working in teams of professionals and support staff, and moving from branch to branch, the Security Task Force held half-day training sessions on two consecutive days over the course of several weeks. Attendance by all staff was mandatory. The Library administration supported attendance by providing funds for supply staff to be brought in. Supply staff, student helpers and other casual staff later received an abbreviated security training workshop.
The training sessions covered the essentials that the Task Force members themselves had learned over the course of a year:
how to handle a building emergency (fire, inclement weather, power failure). how to minimize risks to personal health and safety. how to handle inappropriate or aberrant behavior. how to handle violent behavior or crime. how to handle accidents or medical situations. how to deal with unattended children.
Staff reaction to the training sessions was positive, although a num- ber of people were disturbed by the message that such training seemed to be sending: that our libraries were not the safe, quiet, sanctuaries we wanted them to be.
Another concern was over management support of staff having to make on-the-fly decisions under stressful or dangerous conditions. It was made very clear to them that management would back any actions taken in the best judgment of the designated "in-charge" person. This message was presented by both professional and support staff, which gave it greater credibility. Experience over time has proven manage- ment's promise to be true, and staff now feel quite secure in enforcing the library's zero tolerance policies on unacceptable behavior, in clear-
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Betty Braahma 49
ing a building during an emergency, or in phoning an errant parent to pick up their child after library closing.
Its work completed, the Security Task Force was disbanded in early 1997. Changes to policies and procedures are now dealt with at Chief Librarian's Council meetings or at the department level.
Has Thunder Bay Public Library's tough approach to library securi- ty worked? We believe it has. Staff feel safer and more secure and, perhaps most importantly, they feel empowered to deal with problem situations. Incidents of violent or aberrant behavior have decreased. Patrons in violation of the behavior code can be banned from the library under the provincial Trespass to Property Act if they persist in their behavior, and several have been. The library also has an effective working relationship with the police and response time to calls is now fast and efficient.
If this approach to library safety seems a bit harsh or punitive, consider this: last winter, alert library staff were responsible for identi- fying and helping to apprehend a sexual predator who had been mak- ing the rounds of malls and schools. They also banned a determined hacker and a man who police later disclosed was well-known to them as a violent psychopath.
To the average library user, the atmosphere in the libraries has not changed noticeably and most people are unaware that the Thunder Bay Public ~ i b r a r y has and enforces such stringent rules. Do we turn away the homeless, disturbed or disadvantaged? No. All branches continue to have their daily "regulars" who many of the staff know on a first-name basis.
It is only those who come to disturb the peace or threaten the safety of staff and patrons who get the zero-tolerance treatment. Working as a team, the Thunder Bay Public Library management and staff have helped to make their city libraries a little safer, a little more secure, and a little more like that Victorian dream for our patrons and ourselves.
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