BLACK BELT LIBRARIANS
Every Librarian's Real World Guide to a Safer Workplace
by Warren Graham
ISBN 13: 978-1-59948-027-5
Reference, 76 pages, $14
A small book that packs a big punch!
With the publication of his first book, nationally renowned security and safety consultant Warren Graham helps you tackle the tough issues in your library!
• Essential elements of a truly effective security plan
• How to advise patrons of rules in a way that will most insure compliance
• How to recognize the levels of emotion that a patron may be in and how best to respond
• Ten maxims of security no matter the size of your library
• A strategy for documentation of security problems and incidents
“Warren has transformed his popular library workshop content into a snappy and readable guide. His voice comes through loud and clear in helping us all do a better job. Stop what you’re doing and pick up this practical, funny and honest book. Trust me: you need this!”
Paula Moore
Public Services Coordinator
Arlinton Heights Memorial Library
Illinois
Introduction
The then Library Director, Robert Cannon, called me up one afternoon during my duties as Security Manager for an uptown mall that was situated right across the street from the main library. The library was closed temporarily, being refurbished and expanded from 60,000 to 160,000 square feet. He asked me how I went about controlling the many center city and potential problems in my facility. He then quickly stole me away. Two weeks later, I was working for the library, only one short month before its grand re-opening.
I quickly saw that we were going to have our hands full. The late Nina Lyon, one of the finest overall librarians I have ever known and the then manager of the main library building took me on a tour and laid out the situation. She told me that in the old building she had to handle multiple security situations every single day. There had been no formal rules for library use and no consistency in the attempts to control behavior. They had gone through several contract security companies that had all categorically failed. There was no standardized record keeping and most of the daily "patrons" were not using the building as a library, but as a home.
While a few of the staff thought we should never ban or deny access to anyone no matter what they did, I countered by saying that they would be denying access to the regular, true library user if they didn’t control the environment and keep it conducive to library use. Yes, it is indeed a public building, but what type? Well, it’s a bloody library, and it should look and feel like one. It’s not a place for people to come in and do anything they want. Just because we are a "public building" doesn’t mean you can build a camp fire in the middle of non-fiction.
We were successful in our security efforts thanks to my development of a solid, simple program and procedures. We involved all of the employees and trained them properly. We were more than fair in the advisement of rules and most importantly, from day one, we made sure that we treated everyone the same.
Let me state here that despite the success, I do not consider myself a security "expert," even though a lot of folks refer to me that way. Actually, I don’t believe there is any such thing, and I will explain.
My reason is two fold. First, there is no way you can keep up with the physical security field, i.e. alarm systems, cameras, building access systems, and the like unless you actually work in that specific industry. Technology is growing so fast that new products are constantly being produced and the security products that are available to you today are really already dated.
Secondly, no two security situations are quite alike. Human interaction is always dynamic and never static. It’s always in flux. Rarely is there a black and white solution to an incident; it’s almost always grey. Even though I’ve been doing this for quite a while, I still make mistakes and find challenges in ascertaining what is really going on and picking the best response I can. I can still certainly be taken aback by the mental state of some of our "reality impaired" patrons. Some days I feel as though all I do is try to keep the patients calm!
The one advantage that I do have in my attempts to help you over most others in the security field is that I do indeed work on the front line in a library. Within the library system in Charlotte there are a total of 24 libraries and they are of all shapes and sizes in all types of areas. Their staffing varies from very large to others that at times have a single librarian minding the store. In most cases, the library staff also wear the security hats along with their other duties. The point I am trying to make here is that I know exactly what a librarian goes through. I witness it first hand everyday.
I wish I could have had the information that I am going to share with you when I first started working with the public when I was very young. Even though I would deal with the public for ten years in retail before I stumbled into the security field, many of the principles I work by today would have readily applied, and I would now have more hair.
As you may have guessed from the title of the book, I will speak of how martial art has influenced my perspective in interacting with the problem patron. Don’t jump to the conclusion that I am talking about physical encounters and that my mentioning of my experience in martial ways implies that I think I am some sort of tough guy. It’s the mental aspect of that discipline that I want you to consider, as you will see.
I’m going to share with you the basis of everything I know about dealing with all levels and all kinds of people in various security situations. You will find that I am rather straight forward and down right blunt at times. I call this, after all, a "real world" guide. I prefer to tell it to you the way it really is versus what you may want to hear. I relate the stories as they happened; colorful, earthy language and all. As I’m sure you can already tell, I’m certainly not a professional writer, so I hope you will bear that in mind. I hope the usefulness of the content makes up for my tortured syntax and overall punishment of the English language.
The information contained within is simple. There is a great strength in simplicity, but our oh, so magnificent intellect convinces us that the best solutions are the most complicated, and we sometimes end up out thinking ourselves. Einstein once said that when you can’t find a solution to a problem, you need to go back to the basics! I’m reminded of that popular expression these days that tells everyone to "think outside the box," but that presupposes that one can think inside the box to start with!
However, simple does not always mean easy. These tactics that I’m providing you take practice, especially if you are passive by nature, which most (but certainly not all) librarians are. I don’t mean that in a demeaning way. We are all born passive (as I was) or aggressive by our very nature and we tend to follow that genetic predisposition throughout our lives. I’m going to help you to be more assertive if you need to be.
I believe that you have to have a certain level of people skills to be able to keep your sanity when working with the public. Not all patrons are pleasant to deal with, but the bad patrons are still patrons nonetheless. Every day at the reference desk is not going to be full of moonlight and canoe rides. I am sorry that they failed to teach you in library school that all the nuts aren’t in the nuthouse. Some of the librarians I’ve worked with don’t even like the public and I have often wondered why in the world they ever became involved in a profession that demands helping people!
The whole idea, and my fervent wish in producing this text, is to empower you to be able to respond to a situation rather than simply react. Animals react, people should respond. However, since we humans are creatures of emotion and not logic, we often do something and then think about it rather than the opposite. I’m going to show you a way to put a plan of action in place, then you can take the first step in controlling your environment.
You are a professional librarian. You go the extra mile for the patrons and want them to get the information they are seeking. In turn, you only ask that they treat you in a civil manner and not abuse you. I think that is quite fair enough.
There have been a many a librarian that has corresponded with me after my presentation, testifying to the effectiveness of my little strategies. Trust me, being a passive, introverted, emotive soul that I tend to be; if I acquired these skills, anyone can.
About the Author
Warren Graham is a nationally renowned security, safety and customer service consultant recognized for his unique approach to personal and professional safety. His experiences include 25 years as a security professional, nine years as a retail manager and 35 years as a martial artist with teaching credentials in five disciplines. Since 1989 Warren has served as Security and Safety Manager for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, developing and overseeing its security procedures. His on the job experiences give him a unique perspective on the problems front-line library staff encounter on a daily basis. Over the past decade, Warren has traveled the nation, training thousands of librarians to effectively control their work environment. His engaging, interactive training sessions have earned him recognition as the "guru" of library security.