The Zombie Stack Exchanges That Just Won't Die
Points to consider:
What should be the initial response?
When should this be escalated to a supervisor?
When should this be escalated to a monitor or library security?
When should this be escalated to a police matter?
When and for what period should a patron be banned (law permitting)?
What staff training goes into this?
Alan Thomas II
POLICY ONLY (training not addressed) Our Library's policy is posted publically. It is part of a general Policy Manual. Our city government has an appointed Library Board that oversees and works with city and library administration:
CODE OF CONDUCT POLICY
The goal of the Library’s policy is to maintain a safe and healthy environment conducive to study, programs, and enjoyable use of the Library.
• We expect our customers to attend to personal bgings. The Library is not responsible for personal belongings left unattended in the building.
• Select areas of the Library are designated quiet areas.
• The Library reserves the right to limit the size and number of items brought into the building.
• Drinks with lids are allowed in the Library. Food is allowed in designated areas.
The following behaviors are prohibited in the Library:
• Harassing or annoying others through noisy or boisctivities, by staring at another person with the intent to annoy that person, by following another person about the building or by behaving in a manner which reasonably can be expected to disturb other patrons.
• Entering the Library without a shirt or other covering of their upper bodies or without shoes or other footwear. Patrons whose bodily hygiene is offensive so as to constitute a nuisance to other persons and a disruption to the Library environment.
• Loud, contis crying or screaming; running, or throwing objects.
• Leaving children under the age of 10 unattended. Neglecting to provide supervision of children.
• Bringing animals, other than service animals, into the building without prior approval of Library Administration.
• Soliciting; or distributing materials without prior approval from Library Administration.
• Monopolizing/obstructing space, seating, tables or equipment to the exclusion of others.
Prolonged or chronic sleeping.
• Defacing or damaging any Library materials, equipment, furniture; or interfering with the operation of Library equipment. • Photographing staff or patrons without permission.
• Misusing restrooms. Smoking, bathing, hair-washing and doing laundry are not acceptable.
• Bringing bicycles, scooters, or shopping carts inside the building. Skateboards or skates must be carried if brought into the Library.
• Refusing to h requests by members of the Library staff to abide by Library policies may result in revocation of Library privileges, expulsion from the Library, or criminal prosecution. Any person banned from the Library by action of the staff may request a hearing on the propriety of that ban before the Library Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
Obviously there are varying levels of aggression, and varying sensitivities to what might be considered aggression. There are also patrons who are known to you and others who are not. A lot of personal judgment comes in to play which makes defining steps rather difficult.
At our library, the first person on the scene attempts to calm the situation, and whoever is in charge at the time should be called in if possible to help defuse the matter by inviting the aggressor somewhere away from the public (but not alone) to talk.
If the patron is not readily calmed, he is asked to leave. If he refuses, or if he leaves and comes back another time for a repeat performance, the sheriff is called and a criminal trespass warrant is issued, which means the person can no longer come to the library. We have been advised by our local sheriff's department that when we contact them, we do not need to speak into the phone - we can just dial 911 and leave the receiver off the hook. We have been assured that they would rather come for a false alarm than not be called when someone is a potential danger.
Don't forget to ask staff to fill in an incident report for any serious behavior issues so that if there is a repeat, you have documentation.
Warren Davis Graham has three books out, Black Belt Librarian (all have similar titles; that is the first of the books), that discuss setting up policies and training. He focuses strongly on deescalating situations as much as possible, using techniques like speaking softly and using calming body language. He also talks about how to appropriately and safely confront patrons who are being aggressive or simply breaking the rules. His policies include using a clipboard to record all incidents in the library, even minor ones, like asking someone to take their food outside, both to create precedent and to track issues.
I have also heard of a three strikes & your out policy being useful. This particular situation was geared towards teens, but I imagine it would work with all patrons. The first time you violated policy (disrupting other patrons by talking too loudly, say), you were asked to stop. Second time, warned that if you did not stop you'd be asked to leave if it happened again. Third time, you are asked to leave for the rest of the day. Tomorrow? Blank slate, start over with the three strikes. For serious offenses, a longer temporary ban were instituted.
If a patron does not leave when asked to (per both the 3 strikes policy described above and my library's policy), the police are called. If the situation is not violent, the patron should be warned that the police will be called if they don't leave. They don't leave, pick up the phone and call. If the patron is threatening or aggressive, either physically (whether it's their movements or they are actively being physical--slamming or throwing things) or verbally, call the police, no warning necessary.
If at all possible, keep a desk or other furniture between you and the aggressive patron. Make sure the phone is close at hand. Don't confront someone who seems aggressive or threatening by yourself--have backup and/or witnesses.
This should be addressed frequently at staff meetings. It's also helpful to have a police officer come to talk to staff about when to call (our police have said any time we feel any kind of threat - they are ready to respond, and better trained than library staff, to handle a wide a variety of situations). It's important to be prepared - think ahead of how to deal with different possibilities. The Black Belt Librarian books are a great resource. We also started keeping a record of incidents on a staff wiki, so everyone would be aware (very helpful for those who are part-time and might not know of specific patrons or incidents). A few hours of role-playing can give everyone a good feeling of confidence. We also use instant messaging among the staff so we can communicate without being obvious, and that has been very helpful in alerting co-workers that a situation might be developing, and can be diffused early. We also had panic buttons installed at all public desks for extra security although they don't get a lot of use, it's nice to know they are there!
The library where I work is staffed by student workers late evenings and on Saturdays. There have been few issues of patron misbehavior, but last spring a student worker was closing the library and a student refused to leave. She called campus security and let the officer on duty handle it. I train the student workers that they cannot be part of the solution if they are part of the problem (get into an altercation) and it's better to just call campus security. The student workers are trained to take the cordless phone and lock themselves in the staff bathroom and call security or police if the student worker feels threatened by a patron's behavior although it's never been necessary. As a librarian, when I've dealt with a disruptive patron, it's usually at the desk -- the patron is upset about a fine, etc. I find that acknowledging the patron's position and suggesting ways to prevent the issue in the future are most helpful, but still stand firm on library policy (patron still has to pay the fine). If the situation escalates, I disengage until the patron has calmed down enough to talk. I have never had to resort to campus security using these responses.