OVERVIEW:
Library staffers who work in a large urban or suburban library have the benefit of many co-workers, PICs, supervisors, managers, department heads, and directors to call on for immediate help, enforcing policies, and support, especially when it comes to dealing with challenging patron behavioral concerns. There is safety in numbers in larger branches, where you can change the ratios of confrontation and get help right away, including from branch security officers or local law enforcement.
If you work in a rural library location — which can be defined as: having a police or sheriff’s response that could be 20 minutes to two hours away; working alone or with only one or two other colleagues in the building; working in a one-room facility, with only one entrance/exit door — you need to consider every available safety and security option.
This 60-minute training webinar is presented by Library 2.0 and hosted by trainer, author, and library service, safety, and security expert, Dr. Steve Albrecht. A handout copy of the presentation slides will be available to all participants.
LEARNING AGENDA:
- Trusting your intuition when working alone. Should you stay or go?
- Setting up help systems: phone trees, code words, and exit and evacuation plans.
- Improving your physical security: cameras, panic alarms, better door hardware, remote locking devices, and safe rooms.
- The value of Security Incident Reports.
- How to get better results from your law enforcement agencies.
- How would you handle patron scenarios that only rural libraries have to deal with?
About the Speaker
DR. STEVE ALBRECHT. Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, security, and supervision. His programs are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace with all types of patrons. In 2015, the ALA published his book, Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities. He is currently writing the sequel, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, for Rowman & Littlefield. Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.A. in English, and a B.S. in Psychology. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment. He has written 24 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives with six dogs, two cats, and three chickens. (Not all in the same room, of course.)
