4 Library Safety, Disaster Preparedness, and Recovery

Libraries are one of the most accessible indoor public spaces that exist in communities. In addition to being information and technology hubs, in many communities libraries are also centres for community building and social interaction. As a result, at times libraries can be unpredictable workplaces.

— Sarah St. John, Researcher for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, British Colombia Division, 2016

Chapter Overview

The purpose of this chapter is to:

• Introduce key vocabulary.
• Raise your awareness of safety and disaster issues that you might face in your library work.
• Spark your brainstorming about how you can prepare for library emergencies and what role you are well-suited to play in helping a library to recover.

People in charge of Access Services should focus on anticipating emergencies so that the library staff know what to do in the event of different disasters or crises.  Access Services staff and managers are responsible for safety in the library because “people on the floor are in the best position to identify risk issues on a daily basis” (Evans & Carter, 2009, p. 330). For these reasons, the Framework for Library Access Services includes composure and conflict management as necessary competencies for direct interactions with patrons. Maintaining the library facilities, a key part of behind-the-scenes Access Services duties, can reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries. And the Framework also lists response to emergencies and planning ahead for various safety and disaster scenarios as key responsibilities for Access Services managers.

Library Safety and Facilities Issues

Whether you have been working in a library for awhile or you’re looking forward to starting your first job, you may not realize that the library where you work has an emergency response manual or a section of the library policy manual that covers emergency response. Even if no one at your library mentions it, make sure to ask about emergency response policies and take time to carefully read and make notes for yourself about what the library polices guide you to do in various situations. Stay aware of how to find the emergency response manual quickly so that you can help co-workers who may not be as familiar with it. And follow the emergency response procedures when crises arise.

The following is a list of common sources of safety concerns and common causes library damage. Safety of library workers and patrons is your first priority and protecting the library building and collections from damage are of secondary importance. To prepare you for risk issues in Access Services work, I will list and describe some of the safety and facilities issues facing library workers and some common ways of preparing for or recovering from emergencies.

Non-Human Threats

Non-human threats can cause safety concerns for patrons and workers as well as damage to the building or collections.  They are different from human threats because they do not bring with them the added factor of requiring conflict management to reduce the threat.

Water Damage

Water damage can force a library to close and can destroy part of the library’s collection. It can come from different sources.

Natural Disasters

Water damage can result from rising floods as well as from a tornado or hurricane that destroys part of the structure of the library and allows rain to enter the building. Deferred maintenance, which means that scheduled maintenance is delayed to put off large expenses, can result in failing roofs or basement pumps, which can allow leaks to reach the books during storms or can allow water to collect in the low parts of the library.

Building Leaks

As experienced librarians G. Edward Evans and Thomas Carter observe in their book, Library Programs and Services, “Most of the time water damage in the library results from an internal library problem” (p. 392) including:

• A leaking air conditioner on the roof
• A broken pipe
• An overflowing toilet
• A failure in the sprinkler system, like what happened when Dr. Pearl Ly was working at the Pasadena City College Library.

Sometimes these disasters can be the result of maintenance being deferred so long that the equipment fails and other times it is unforeseeable or can be the result of other disasters, like an earthquake that damages pipes. A fire anywhere in the library can also result in significant damage whether or not the fire itself reaches any of the materials, because the sprinkler system and, to an even greater extent, the fire department’s water hoses will inundate the collection. In most libraries built in the United States in the past 50 years, the greatest risk from a fire is, in fact, the ensuing water damage rather than the fire itself.

Ways to Prepare for or Respond to Water Damage

When water is leaking from above, library staff should cover or work with their maintenance department to cover the affected area with plastic tarps until the leak is stopped (Hazlett, 2017). And when water is collecting on the floor, materials should be moved to higher shelves until the water is cleared (Hazlett, 2017).

Can Water Damaged Books Be Saved?

While it is not worth the cost to salvage all damaged books, the best way to “stabilize water-damaged archival and library materials” so that the damage does not progress into mildew or mold is to freeze them “as quickly as possible” and ideally in air-tight chambers (Hazlett, 2017, p. 45). There are companies that provide these services, so freezing books is not something library techs are expected to do on-site. If mold or mildew are found in library books, library techs should not be the ones to work with them, instead, trained workers wearing “masks or respirators and disposable gloves” should be contracted to do mold mitigation in the library (Hazlett, 2017, p. 45).

Structure Fires and Wildfires

Although a library-threatening fire could be started by a human, I have categorized fire as a non-human threat because the focus is on how to handle the fire, not the cause of a fire. As I mentioned above, fires in libraries usually lead to damage because of the water or chemicals used to suppress the fire, rather than from fire consuming library collections, though there have been notable exceptions like the fire that destroyed much of the Los Angeles Central public library in 1986.

Ways to Prepare for or Respond to Fires

“Everyone working in public service should know how to handle a fire extinguisher” (Evans & Carter, 2009, p. 340). Also be aware that different types of fire extinguishers are designed for different types of fires (Choosing, 2022). Your local fire department is likely willing to come to your library to offer training on using fire extinguishers and in the meantime, you can find a lot of useful videos online about detecting fires and using fire extinguishers. The main thing to remember is that you are not required to fight a fire that you detect and that only very small fires should be approached with a fire extinguisher.

Wildfires can also trigger the need to follow a library’s disaster plan even if the library itself is not threatened by the fires. Some libraries outside of fire-affected areas have been used as temporary gathering or shelter sites for evacuees from wildfires (Inklebarger, 2019). Other libraries have had to be evacuated and closed because of wildfire threats. And it is also important to recognize that staff may be directly affected by wildfire even if the library is not, which can require adjustments to library hours and staffing.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes themselves do not necessarily damage library collections, but they can pose a risk to people in the library and they can result in a large mess that library workers will need to clean up.

Ways to Prepare for or Respond to Earthquakes

Avoid putting books or other materials on shelves that are above most people’s heads, since they can cause injuries during earthquakes. Your library or the organization of which it is a part may choose to participate in California’s Great Shake Out once or twice a year to test alert systems and to practice evacuation procedures. Large libraries are likely to have a safety team who may receive additional training about how to locate people who are trapped and to assist patrons who cannot walk down stairs.

Following a large earthquake, expect that there will be a lot of books to clear off the floor and return to the shelves. Some materials may be damaged in the earthquake and decisions will need to be made about repairing or replacing them. If the building is significantly damaged by the earthquake, it may take a long time for the repairs to be done so that it is safe to return.

Accidents and Injuries

Although some accidents cannot be foreseen, one of your jobs in Access Services is to notice things in the library that may pose a risk so that you can either remove the risk, work with the maintenance staff to remove the risk, or warn patrons so that they can avoid the risk. If there is a risk that should be obvious to you and you do not take any action to eliminate it or warn patrons about it, it is possible that you could be considered negligent in contributing to someone’s injury in the library. “An example of possible negligence would be the failure of library staff to put out signs warning of slippery entryway floors on a rainy or snowy day and a person falling and injuring [themselves]” (Evans & Carter, 2009, p. 331). Worrying about whether you could be liable for negligence, though, is not what motivates most library techs to reduce injury risks in the library. Noticing and helping people to avoid danger is part of creating a safe, welcoming environment.

Human Threats

Human threats can cause safety concerns for patrons and workers as well as damage to or loss of library materials.  Because they are caused by a person, they bring with them the added complication of conflict management and library workers will need to weigh the proportionality of the threat and their response.

Theft of Library materials

Library workers are responsible for securing the collection and other objects in the library, including computers, furniture, art, etc. This responsibility does not mean that you need to chase down someone you think may have left the library with library property. But it does mean putting precautions in place to make theft less likely. Since many library workers are employed by public agencies like cities, counties, public schools, or public colleges and universities, loss through theft is considered to be a misappropriation of government funds. Accreditation standards for colleges and universities often even include securing the library’s collection as a core function of library staff and require proof of security measures, including electronic gates that set off an alarm when materials pass through without being de-sensitized during the check-out process. Similarly, public library boards of directors and school boards will expect library managers to account for losses and explain how they are working to prevent future thefts. Still, “every library has some loss of books and other items as well as some mutilation of materials,” which can include pages of books and periodicals being ripped out by patrons (Evans & Carter, 2009, p. 351). And the library manager has to weigh the cost of expensive security systems that require tagging all the items and maintaining electronic gates versus the cost of replacing stolen materials (Evans & Carter, 2009). Replacing stolen materials may prove to be less expensive for some libraries.

Theft of Patrons’ belongings

Although library staff are not responsible for patrons’ property that they bring with them into the library, you may be asked for assistance if someone experiences a theft while in the library. You also may become aware that some library policies are either helping to limit theft or are making theft more likely. Many public libraries have decided it is necessary to limit the number of bags that patrons can bring into the library with them because unhoused patrons often have several bulky items that they prefer to keep near them rather than leaving them on the street or in a shared sleeping site like a shelter. By requiring patrons to choose between keeping their belongings in their possession or using the library, this policy can make theft more likely, though it moves the location of the threat outside of the library itself.

Theft of Patrons’ data

Libraries collect patrons’ personally identifying information (including names and addresses) either as part of the library-card application process, in the case of public libraries, or through downloads of student data from a college or school’s centralized system of student records. Libraries must protect patrons’ information from being stolen through hacks, phishing, or even direct access to the records from the library’s own circulation computers. Typically, library staff rely on the companies through which they license their circulation software as well as the Information Technology or Information Services department of their organization to create as much protection as possible from data-breeches by hackers. To protect the library from phishing scams, library staff must be suspicious of all external email that requests the user to open a link or provide any patron information. Suspicious emails should be reported to your organization’s IT or IS department. Library staff are also responsible for protecting patrons’ information from being viewed by anyone who does not work for the library, including parent volunteers in a school library and student interns unless they have been trained on how to protect patrons’ privacy. Some libraries will require extensive background checks before accepting a library volunteer, partly to discourage people from becoming volunteers for the purpose of mis-using patrons’ personal information. View this example of a policy that volunteers at one library are required to follow; it will give you insight into the concerns that libraries that accept volunteers have to navigate (Multnomah County Library, n.d.).

Remember that it is the American Library Association’s (ALA) long-standing position that library records cannot be shared, even with law enforcement, without a subpoena from a court. ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) explains, “Forty-eight states have statutes that protect the confidentiality of library records. The other two have attorneys’ general opinions that support the confidentiality of library records” (2019, Item 26). Any requests for patrons’ records, even from law enforcement, should be immediately forwarded to library or campus leadership and you should not provide any patron information to anyone outside of the staff at your library or school.

Violence against library workers

Although you will be reading about some in this course, assaults against library workers are rare, but they are serious and should be prevented as much as possible. The closing routine of a library is an example of a time when library workers should be especially aware of minimizing risks because there are usually fewer staff on-site at the end of the night and, although “some users can be very reluctant to leave” there are overall fewer people in and around the library, especially if the library closes at late hours or is isolated from other buildings by a large parking lot or park-like setting (Evans & Carter, 2009, p. 337). A closing routine should include a rule that there should never be fewer than two staff on site during closing time. One staff person should stand by the door, “covering the exit to keep people from coming in and to see that those who leave take only their personal belongings and properly checked out materials” (Evans & Carter, 2009, p. 337), which can save time instead of waiting for patrons to realize that they have not checked out an item when the alarm sounds. While one library worker covers the exit, the other workers on duty should systematically walk through the library to ensure that all the patrons have exited before the library building is locked. Some people want to try to stay in a library after it is closed, and others may not realize that the building is really closing, and the staff are about to leave. Intentionally hiding to stay in the library after it closes is called “after-hours concealment” and is the reason why staff need to check all potential hiding places during the closing routine (Evans & Carter, 2009, p. 338). If the library collects cash fines and payments, then the cash drawer will need to be balanced and the cash will need to be secured in a safe (Evans & Carter, 2009). Library workers should walk out of the library together to keep each other safe on the way out (Evans & Carter, 2009). Closing routine procedures should be systematized, ideally in writing, so that they can be consistently taught to new hires and reviewed if changes need to be made.

Violence against patrons

Some library patrons are particularly vulnerable to assault in the library. Elisa Hernandez, an experienced Library Associate II I interviewed for this textbook, observed that too many parents assume that the library is a safe place for their children to roam and explore on their own while parents are using the public access computers or the library’s books. Elisa Hernandez described her efforts to alert parents to the potential dangers, encouraging parents to stay watchful, especially while they and their children are in the general section of the library. In the children’s library, parents can be somewhat more relaxed because there is a policy that adults unaccompanied by a child are not allowed to linger there. Because children are vulnerable, libraries should also have policies that address what staff should do if a child is at the library unattended when the library is closing (Evans & Carter, 2009). Without such a policy, staff may feel like it is their responsibility to stay with the child until a parent or guardian arrives, but this is not an appropriate role for library workers to take on.

Disability or drug-related impairment can also make a library patron more vulnerable to violence or theft. Your own situational awareness in the library should include being alert to patrons who are most likely to need assistance but may not be able to ask for it.

Library Workers’ Experiences with Library Safety and Disaster Emergencies

Most library techs I interviewed for this textbook do not actively worry about safety in their library on a daily basis. In most cases, they reported that worrying about safety is the responsibility of on-site security or is something that they try not to think about too much because there is not much they can do to secure the library because of the way it is designed.

School LMTs rely on campus security precautions to prevent violence on campus and security personnel to manage issues if they arise. For example, making sure that security doors are kept locked is a primary safety measure at all schools. One elementary school LMT substitute explained that the library where she works is all glass and has a door that is outside of the school gates. So they sometimes get people knocking on their door and they do not admit anyone they do not know. Instead, they send people to the school front office to be registered to come on campus. She also described being questioned after a sub shift because an exterior door had been left propped open at the end of the day and the LMT wondered if the sub had left it open. Instead, it turned out that a teacher loading her car had forgotten to close it after she finished. The LMT substitute concluded, “something so innocent like that is a really big issue.”

Yvonne Brett, a high school LMT III, acknowledged that the design of the library made it impossible to secure it in the event of an active shooter roaming the campus because of the windows and entrance, but she explained she tries not to think about it. She also described participating in regular drills on campus to know what to do in the event of different emergencies. Another high school LMT, LaDonna Hankins-Ramirez, works directly with the campus security officer and the security officer’s desk is located inside of the library. She also noted that altercations between students always happen outside, not in the library. A third high school LMT, Lora Diaz, explained, “We have a radio in case something goes down in the library, which has never happened, but, you know, it’s a high school—people fight.” Instead, she said the overarching concern is more of an

intruder or active shooter, which is really hard to think about. But we have several measures in place. We have, not just in the library but everywhere on campus, lock boxes on doors so that anyone can lock the door without needing a key.

She added,

I don’t worry about the security of our books, I’m more concerned about the security of our kids and I want to remove things like the security gates [in the library] that make things look uninviting. We’re more concerned with, is this the place you want to come hang out and not be out there [during lunch time] where it’s crazy?

She also explained that she thinks public libraries have to deal with safety issues a lot more than she does at a high school library.

Public library Access Services staff definitely report being more on-alert for safety issues than are their colleagues in school libraries. Christina Lorenzo, a public library assistant, explained that safety is “a tough one.” She described how she developed a keen sense for being mindful of possible threats in her surroundings when she worked in youth programs for the Parks & Rec department. In that job, she was regularly responsible for 25 or 50 kids in open areas like parks. So she would watch for people who seemed to be watching the children, noticing if someone was staring for too long because it made her wonder if they were looking for an opportunity to victimize a child in her care. She applies that same sensitivity in her current work in the library. She also is mindful of the layout of her library building, explaining,

just knowing all the ways that you can go where an active shooter or someone that’s inside and is very upset to the point of being very aggressive won’t be able to go. Like we have these–I don’t know why because they’re not appealing–huge doors. They’re super heavy metal and wood and they don’t have windows or anything like glass. You can’t see what’s in there. So being mindful of where those are is very helpful.

But she has also learned that being mindful of security is about knowing what is not true. For example,

before working [in the library] I would see in the movies the panic buttons, it was like instant—you’d hit it and then all the police are there. Well, it’s not like that. You know, you hit it and then someone calls to check to see if it’s legit. So we always say if you can avoid hitting that button it’s faster if you just pick up and call 911.

Christina Lorenzo also recounted one incident in which a man who had attempted to break into a home near the library was fleeing the scene and entered the library to try to evade the police. Since he was trying to blend into the rest of the library patrons to avoid detection, the library staff did not feel threatened by him immediately, but they were alert that something was going on because a helicopter was circling low near the library. Then one of the library supervisors returned from getting something out of her car. While she was outside, she had seen a man hop the fence behind the library and she figured something was wrong. She ran up to the library assistant, who was holding an event for teen volunteers that night on the second floor of the library, and told her to lock the door, turn off the lights, and not come out. On the first floor of the library, staff had already moved patrons into a room to clear the floor. And it seemed like once the intruder “kind of noticed that someone knew what he was doing, he exited the building, and the police caught him right outside.” This was an example of a time when it was important to “be mindful that it can happen in a matter of like two seconds: you having to just jump on it and do it safely to not alert whoever’s there to either harm or not harm, but who is dangerous.”

Library techs at academic libraries are mindful of stories of mass shootings in the news and one community college library tech, Johnny Rodriguez, recounted a story somewhat like Christina’s that triggered a campus-wide effort to train people in the event of an active shooter on campus.  Johnny explained,

Someone ran into a classroom and threatened that they had a weapon and a bomb. And then there was a dramatic chase that happened across the campus. So there was a massive lockdown and it triggered a lot of people. Some people were really upset by what happened. This [incident] ended up being okay, but I personally wonder what would have happened. In response to that the school has tried to implement more safety measures. They installed a panic button at the circulation desk. We’ve done drills on how to lock down the library, how to barricade [the doors]. So those have helped. And they weren’t just drills for staff. Every spring semester there’s a drill where we involve students who happen to be in the library. So everyone goes through the procedures and then afterward I’m one of the people that does a PowerPoint presentation in the middle, in front of the circulation desk where students are. I tell them, ‘Hey, whoever’s interested, we’re going to go over more in depth on the procedures and also letting you guys know what the school’s trying to do to protect you.’ So we’re supporting students that way and also letting them know, if you’re upset by these things, there are places you can get help on campus.

The Role of Security or Police in the Library

Fortunately, the techs I interviewed for this textbook have positive relationships with on-site security or local police. One library tech works at a library where the city police force has a regular presence in the library and the officers even have an assigned desk in the staff area. This library tech reported that she feels these officers understand the safety concerns at the library and are good at working with patrons so that they keep everyone safe without creating an atmosphere that is hostile to some patrons. On-site security and police presence in libraries, however, are controversial because many fear that it makes the library less welcoming and, if the security staff are not trained and supervised appropriately or if the expectations that library leadership have for the security staff are not clear, then the result can be a false sense of security. Library security staff’s first priority should be creating relationships with patrons so that they are trusted and respected, and therefore more likely to get positive results when they intervene in a safety or nuisance issue.

Johnny Rodriguez explained that the PowerPoint presentation he gives as part of the active shooter training he described was provided by the campus police. He said that the newest chief of police “wants to change the role of police on campus” and is “aware of the issues at play in policing in general.” So the new chief is “on board with reducing an overreliance on campus police because it could turn out really bad, obviously.” Instead of past policies that required library staff to call the police for certain issues, the college is now

trying to figure out a way to reduce that reliance on campus police and supplement that with student support services. So say if someone comes in and they’re acting very erratically, instead of just calling campus police and having them come in, they have student health services where they have counselors or someone come out here and speak to them. But these changes only really started being implemented in the last year and we were closed for most of that time [because of COVID restrictions].

So Johnny was not yet sure how this new policy would work out, but he was hopeful that the trend to rely less on police would continue.

Calling the police is not something most library techs will ever have to do as part of their job. Nevertheless, libraries should provide staff with guidelines for determining when police should be called and when disturbances, policy violations, and vandalism should not trigger a call to the police. “As a general rule, if you have to think about whether you should call [the police], don’t” (Dapier & Knox, 2020). This means that calling the police should not be the library staff’s first choice even when a patron is being disruptive or defiant because the police introduce additional potential for violence and deadly force into the situation and these additional risks fall disproportionately on people with disabilities, Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color. Librarians at George Mason University advise that when there is a problem in the library, there are “actions Access Services can take first and which should always be attempted before calling the police, like:

• addressing the problem directly
• asking the user to leave
• or bringing a second staff member as backup or a witness to the interaction” (Bopp, Mackenzie, & Edwards, 2023, p. 139).

Here are some threats to safety that are likely to require an emergency call to the police, according to Robert Doyle (2006):

• “An individual threatens to or strikes or physically harms another individual, whether a library visitor or library employee;
• “A child missing in a library, after a thorough check of the facility and in consultation with the parent or caregiver;
• “An individual [or more than one person] engages in an act of public indecency [that is affecting other patrons or employees].”

Doyle (2006) also recommends calling the police for other incidents, but the nuisances listed below on their own should really not involve the police:

• “An individual threatens to or willfully damages physical (library or patron) property, whether a book, a computer, the library building, or a vehicle in the parking lot;
• “An individual is selling, using, or possesses illegal drugs or is drinking alcohol or is publicly intoxicated;
• “An individual [or more than one person] engages in an act of public indecency [that is not affecting other patrons or employees].”

These should not automatically trigger a call to the police unless they also involve other actions that are a threat to people’s physical safety. If the emergency response manual at your library directs workers to call the police for property damage, defacement, drugs, or public indecency, consider talking with your supervisor about handling these issues in other ways, including the recommendations to address the behavior directly, asking the patron to leave, and working in tandem with a co-worker to offer back-up and a witness.

Gray areas that will require especially careful judgement are when staff have asked a patron to leave and the patron refuses. If the patron has been asked to leave because of threats to others, then calling the police when the person does not leave may make sense if the situation continues to escalate. On the other hand, if the patron has been asked to leave because they are using a cell phone in the library, loudly talking or violating other policies, then calling the police to remove them escalates a situation that does not pose a reasonable threat of violence before the police arrive. You should also think carefully before deciding to make an emergency call to the police if the threat from a patron is only directed at property rather than at other people. Crimes of vandalism and theft should be recorded and reported following library policies, but there is usually no reason to call the police for the purpose of trying to prevent a theft or vandalism that you perceive to be in progress.

Doyle (2006) lists the following common events as examples of irritations that should definitely not lead to an emergency call to police:

• “Violations of library policy, such as cell phone use or talking in quiet areas;
• “Abusive comments by library users that do not include threats of physical harm;
• “[Patrons] viewing First Amendment protected materials [this includes pornography and violent images];
• “Homelessness, offensive body odor, or poor bodily hygiene; and
• “Symbols [associated with] gang affiliation.”

Without even calling the police, some library staff have been approached by police asking for information about whether and when someone specific or someone matching a description was last seen in the library. There is no reason to provide this information to law enforcement and privacy laws or policies in many library settings restrict you from providing this information unless the police have a subpoena, in which case you should refer them to your supervisor or the library manager.

Read more about how library staff and library organization leaders are re-evaluating how the library uses police assistance to maintain safety: “Rethinking Police Presence: Libraries Consider Divesting from Law Enforcement” by Cass Balzar in American Libraries (2020). Other libraries have had to close to the public and only offer to-go services, like curbside book pick-up because under-staffing has created security and burn-out concerns. The Long Beach Public Library system, for example, closed the Mark Twain Branch in July of 2023, to “give library staff an opportunity to rest and give the city time to improve the security situation” (Schuster, 2023, para. 6). During the library closure, the system leaders said that they would consider hiring an on-site social worker and contracting with the police department in place of their current contract with a private security company (Schuster, 2023). The balance between library access and library safety will continue to challenge library workers for the foreseeable future.

What Makes a Good Safety & Disaster Plan?

In this section, I offer standards you can use to evaluate disaster plans and the guidelines you can access online that assist libraries in the process of creating disaster plans. This can also help you to identify your strengths related to handling the stress of library emergencies.  So, what makes a good safety and disaster plan?

It exists

Creating a good plan takes time that most library workers rarely have. Good plans will also need to be reviewed and refined by the staff who work the most with the public, which takes additional time to complete. So just having a written plan that is accessible to and supported by the library’s staff is a great step in the right direction.

It is up-to-date

Because creating a plan takes so much time, it can be disappointing to realize that one plan cannot last forever. The plan needs to be reviewed about once a year by library managers and they should get feedback from library techs at least every few years. This gives the staff who work the most with patrons the opportunity to highlight the need for new policies that address emerging issues. Staff input can also show managers which policies should be re-written to reflect what is actually happening and having successful outcomes in the library. For example, if there are written policies prohibiting all cell-phone use but the staff report that most patrons now use cell phones in a respectful way, then that policy can be re-written to indicate that only disruptive cell phone use is prohibited in the library.

It is realistic and based on a review of past incidents

Because the value of a safety plan rests so much on its relevance to the issues that are most likely to happen at your library, library techs can contribute significantly to the development of a safety plan by “maintaining a log of incidents and complaints” to provide “better information about the problems and their seriousness and frequency” (Evans & Carter, 2009, p. 333).

Finding Strength Under Pressure

It can be inspiring and informative to learn about how library workers have recovered from disasters.  Here are two examples.

Examples of library recovery

Public and School Libraries in Paradise, CA recovering from wildfires

In November 2018, an enormous wildfire, called the Camp Fire, destroyed much of the town of Paradise, California. Some school libraries were destroyed. The Paradise public library was one of the few buildings in the city that did not burn down. School LMTs and administrators had to work to rebuild library collections, and some received large donations to help with that effort. The public library reopened as quickly as possible and sought to support residents who were trying to rebuild. Read about the school and public libraries recovering from the fire and how they helped their community to recover (if you are reading this book in print, access these links in Canvas where the reading assignment is posted for the week):

• Donations Help Rebuild Libraries in Paradise, Calif.
• Paradise library reopens to tears and cheers

Public Libraries in Houston recovering from hurricane-related flooding

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 storm, hit Texas and Louisiana. The hurricane caused extreme flooding in Houston, TX. Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the government’s insurance agency, worked with Houston to rebuild, it took years for some branch libraries to be repaired enough to re-open. In the meantime, there was a small controversy about plans to throw away the books that were left in the damaged libraries. A community college library was also inundated in the flood and everything on the first floor was destroyed. The library was redesigned and re-opened nearly two years after the flood. Choose from these resources to read and listen about the long process of recovery, which is beginning again in many parts of Houston after the 2024 disaster (if you are reading this book in print, access these links in Canvas where the reading assignment is posted for the week):

• Thousands of undamaged books, from Harvey-flooded library, are in danger of being destroyed (and the follow up story)
• Kendall Neighborhood Library reopening marks final chapter in Hurricane Harvey damage
• Patron Driven – 5-part podcast from about the experiences of four library workers at the Kingwood Library on the Lone Star College campus.

Your contributions to library recovery

Library Access Services staff should not consider themselves first responders but, instead, first alerters. During an emergency in the library, emergency professionals should be called, and library staff should prioritize their own safety (Ettarh, 2018). Later, in the aftermath of an emergency or disaster, Access Services staff will then be the key figures in returning the library to working order. In the event of an emergency in your library, it is important to stay calm enough to follow procedures and keep yourself safe. But really it is during the long period of recovery that your ability to manage stress and chaos will become an asset for your library.

Reflect on your own experiences and strengths that would make you an asset to a library in a time of crisis. And reflect on where you will turn for support when you are dealing with the stress of crises.

Disaster Planning Resources:

The Librarian’s Disaster Planning and Community Resiliency Guidebook

The Librarian’s Disaster Planning and Community Resiliency Workbook

ALA Resource Guides: Safety and Security in Libraries

References

Balzar, C. (2020, July 8). Rethinking police presence. American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2020/07/08/rethinking-police-presence/

Boog, J. (2019, April 16). Donations help rebuild libraries in Paradise, Calif. PublishersWeekly.Com. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/79807-donations-help-rebuild-libraries-in-paradise-calif.html

Bopp, M., Mackenzie, T., & Edwards, K. A. (2023). Small changes make an impact: How Access and Metadata Services teams address cultural humility. In S. R. Kostelecky, L. Townsend, & D. A. Hurley (Eds.), Hopeful visions, practical actions: Cultural humility in library work (pp. 137-151). ALA.

Dapier, J., & Emily, K. (2020, July 8). When not to call the cops. American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2020/07/08/rethinking-when-to-call-the-cops/

Doyle, R. P. (2006, December). Libraries as sanctuaries for criminals?: When do you call the police – A brief rule of thumb. The Illinois Library Association Reporter, 24(6), 16. https://www.ila.org/content/documents/Reporter_1206.pdf

Ettarh, F. (2018, January 10). Vocational awe and librarianship: The lies we tell ourselves. In the Library with the Lead Pipe. https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/

Evans, G. E., and Carter, T. L. (2009). Introduction to library public services, 7^th ed. Libraries Unlimited.

Evans, G. E., Saponaro, M. Z., Christie, H., and Sinwell, C. (2015). Library programs and services, 8^th ed. Libraries Unlimited.

Hazlett, D. R. (2017, April). “Disaster recovery.” Library Journal, 45-46.

Holmes-Brown, S. (2022, October 15). One of Houston’s busiest libraries reopens after 5 years. Houston Chronicle. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/The-Kendall-Neighborhood-Library-is-reopening-17509649.php

Inklebarger, T. (2019, January 2). California libraries in wildfires’ wake. American Libraries Magazine. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/01/02/california-libraries-wildfires-wake/

Intellectual Freedom Committee’s (IFC) Privacy Subcommittee. (2019). Privacy and confidentiality Q&A. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/privacyconfidentialityqa

Library recovery – Houston Public Library Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2023, from https://www.houstonlibraryfoundation.org/hpl-recovery/

Multnomah County Library. (n.d.) Library volunteers serving vulnerable populations policy. https://multcolib.org/sites/default/files/Vulnerable%20Populations%20Policy.pdf

Schuster, K. (2023, July 6). Chronic safety concerns, staff shortages force closure at Mark Twain Library. Long Beach Post News. https://lbpost.com/news/mark-twain-library-closes-safety-concerns-staff-shortage/

St. John, S. (2016, April). Library health and safety report. CUPE BC. https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/cupebcvotes2014/pages/1870/attachments/original/1462033176/CUPE_Library_Health_and_Safety_Report.pdf?1462033176

Von Kaenel, C. (2019, August 2). Paradise library reopens to tears and cheers. Chico Enterprise-Record. https://www.chicoer.com/2019/08/02/paradise-library-reopens-to-tears-and-cheers

Zizka, T. (2021a, May 28). Thousands of undamaged books, from Harvey-flooded library, are in danger of being destroyed. FOX 26 Houston. https://www.fox26houston.com/news/thousands-of-undamaged-books-from-harvey-flooded-library-are-in-danger-of-being-destroyed

Zizka, T. (2021b, August 9). Library books destined for the trash after Harvey repairs get a new home. FOX 26 Houston. https://www.fox26houston.com/news/library-books-destined-for-the-trash-after-harvey-repairs-get-a-new-home