Safety and Security Tools & Strategies

There are many options when it comes to security tools and strategies. Things to consider when moving forward include:

• Identify the big picture outcomes that are provoking you to reflect on safety and security – What are your goals and objectives? What outcomes are you aiming to achieve? Consider involving staff, community partners, library supporters, union leadership and others in identifying priorities for this work. Some examples of goals and objectives could include:
  

  Sample Goals	Sample Objectives
  Proactively prevent security issues through the built environment.	Complete a security audit at each location to understand the threat risk and a plan to address the audit findings.
  Have security services that are responsive to the library’s needs.	Hire or contract security guards and develop in-house training for guards.
  Have the required policy, procedures,and guidelines to effectively address the strategy.	Review existing policy, procedures,and guidelines; identify any gaps; and fill gaps, as/if required, with new policy, procedures and guidelines.
  Provide employees training to be able to address security issues and de-escalate patron interactions confidently and effectively.	Identify security training needs; recommend training programs to address needs.

• Assess risk – Thinking about risk is often based on two pieces of information – the likelihood of a particular incident happening and how serious the consequence of that incident may be. Together, this information helps libraries understand and prioritize when corrective action is required. Unlikely activities with insignificant consequence are low risk. At the other extreme would be activities very likely to occur with critical or catastrophic consequences. These are high or extreme risk. Risk assessments can run on a sliding scale from full organizational review to targeted reports on particular focus areas (i.e., location-specific, physical environment, workplace hazard assessments, security tools, etc.). It’s important to think about how to strike the right balance between inputs (internal and external), approach, and desired outcomes. External experts and resources, as well as community data and information, can add valuable insight and perspective. See examples from both the Hamilton Public Library and Edmonton Public Library.
• Develop a workplan to achieve safety and security goals and objectives – Key information in a work plan can include (but is not limited to), description of a task, the associated cost, who is responsible for the task, the start and end date of the task, outputs and deliverables related to that task, and the status of the task.
• Consider budget questions – Staff time, training, security equipment, social workers, and supplies to combat drug poisonings (e.g., naloxone kits) are all items related to safety that require resources. Costing these items to inform resourcing is important to acquiring the resources it needs to address safety and security priorities.
• Consider equipment options and associated policies – There are many safety and security-related equipment options that are available for libraries to consider. Many are already in use, particularly in larger library systems, as part of an overall strategy to promote the safety of visitors, staff, and community members. Examples include (but are not limited to): security cameras, security fobs to prevent public access to staff-only areas, and headsets to ensure continuous communication among staff.
• Create incident procedures and reporting protocols – Managing, reporting on, and documenting incidents is critical to identifying and tracking patterns of incidents and responses, and for learning. Having a structured approach is key, with a strong focus on specific, observable facts and avoiding speculation, judgement, and opinion. Some libraries use a more formal Incident Management Response System (IMRS). This is a standardized approach to emergency management that includes personnel, facilities, equipment, procedures, and communications operating within an organization. It identifies certain management functions that must be carried out, regardless of the number of persons who are available or involved in the emergency response. An IMRS maintains public confidence, is based on a set of core principles, and identifies roles and responsibilities for key staff.
• Develop clear and concise materials to communicate key safety procedures to staff – This communication is often tailored to the needs of specific safety and security situations, for example: how to respond to hostile communications, including phone calls of concern, emails of concern, and threatening communication; how to safely respond to a situation where pepper/bear spray has been used; how to administer NARCAN.
• Develop job descriptions for in-house safety and security-related positions – There are a range of different jobs and positions in libraries that are dedicated to supporting safety and security tasks. Larger systems create in-house positions.
• Determine the need for dedicated library security guards – Often contracted through an external vendor, security guards in libraries can be responsible for greeting patrons, provide directional support for programs and services, and act as the eyes and ears of library activity. They support staff by identifying potential issues to in-charge staff and working in tandem with in-charge staff to speak to customers violating the Code of Conduct.
• Develop a Safety Manual and/or Emergency Plan – These are documents that identify a wide range of potential safety issues and describe the library’s procedures in responding. Examples of topics covered in these procedures include (but are not limited to): fire, evacuation, shelter in place (emergency shelter), medical, severe weather, flooding, building structure, demonstration/occupation, weapons and extreme violence, children at risk, personal safety/disruptive patrons, problems related to alcohol/drugs, physical plant/computer failure, break-ins/vandalism/theft, hold-ups/robberies, and bomb threats. Separate documents may be developed for specific circumstances, for example the Lock Down Procedure followed by the Winnipeg Public Library Main Branch, the Millennium Library.