Safe Library - by Steve Albrecht

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This book provides advice and support to help library employees best deal with sexually harassing patrons, unruly groups of students, gang members, thieves, Internet hogs, and others who can disrupt the safe library environment.

Review Quotes

As the world has been thrown into turmoil because of the pandemic, so have been libraries, librarians, and our patrons. Librarians have found themselves thrust into situations where while working in a state of crisis they are also desperately needed to provide for their patrons who are also in crisis. This has created environments of heightened stress and increases in the need for all library staff and stakeholders to do whatever possible to increase safety for all. Steve has become an expert in this area and addresses this with solid, practical descriptions and actionable advice for all libraries. This timely book is an essential read.

Dr. Albrecht plays an amazing and unique role with libraries and library staff. His trusted voice brings his years of security experience as well as a premier customer service trainer, to the important tasks of providing safety and security in the library, while also respecting and empathizing with both staff and patrons experiencing challenging moments. There is no one better, and this book will be the ready-reference standard for years to come. The Safe Library should be on the desk of every library director, manager, and supervisor.

I can't think of anyone else I would rely on for library security expertise. Steve's insight and books have driven many of my successful security plans.

I have used Dr. Albrecht on numerous occasions for special training programs and found his workshops and books to be invaluable tools for libraries. The Safe Library can help you thoroughly examine how your library can address many of the old and new safety and security issues amplified by the pandemic, and the divisive behaviors that library boards, administration, and employees are sometimes dealing with on a daily basis from their users. Every library should invest in a copy of this book for their internal professional collection for their organization.

Safety and security are of critical importance in libraries today, and policies and procedures need to be in place before a threatening phone call or email is received or a tense situation turns into a volatile one. As a security management expert and former law enforcement officer, Albrecht brings to bear a wealth of practical knowledge and sound advice in what he describes as an "action manual." In ten compact and compelling chapters he covers topics ranging from staff training to better responses for patrons dealing with homelessness or mental health and substance abuse disorders to working safely in a rural or small library to plans for library emergencies such as fires or medical events. A chapter on the top ten most challenging patrons will resonate with anyone currently working (or who has ever worked) in a library. Appendixes offer additional security tools including a sample security incident report format. Managers and frontline staff in all types and sizes of libraries are well served by this prescient and pertinent book.

Security and safety are critical issues everywhere, libraries included. School, public, and academic libraries all need to address security and safety needs, which may differ from library to library. Such concerns were not an issue until about 25 years ago, so schools of library and information science did not cover them. Albrecht is a specialist in this area, and he packs this book with all kinds of information librarians and staff need to know when dealing with emergencies and safety/security issues. Chapters cover such topics as homeless library users, working with those with mental challenges, rural safety, and dealing with an armed intruder. The scenarios the author presents will make for productive discussions. Excellent appendixes provide information about access, parking lot safety, and security tools. This book will be an excellent resource for information sciences classes, for local or national organization professional development, or for individual use on an as-needed basis. Although much of the book focuses on public libraries, the book is applicable to all libraries. Essential. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals.

Steve is a library security professional and a skilled collaborator. He presents thought-provoking ideas on making libraries safe and his book is a practical tool for all library staff. Steve does not reinvent the wheel; he looks at all the wheels and brings those ideas together for the benefit of everyone. If you are working on safety and security in any library, public, private, law, or academic, you need this book, not on the shelf, but on your desk as a reference. It's worth the time to read it and the ideas inside just may save a life.

The Safe Library should serve as an essential training manual for all library personnel. It offers urgent solutions for the most difficult problems facing libraries today. With his warm, witty, and engaging style, Dr. Albrecht shares research and experience-based best practices that makes this book necessary reading now.

There is a frequent misconception that libraries are idyllic, conflict-free spaces where everyone respects one another's boundaries. However, anyone who regularly frequents a library can attest that this is not always true. Former police officer and security management expert Albrecht (Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities) offers strategies designed to empower library professionals of all levels to become more vigilant, assertive, and confident contributors to the safety of their library. Emphasized are methods to better facilitate communication and de-escalation, develop safe and effective workplace habits, analyze and advocate for improved security within the library, and provide exceptional customer service even when dealing with challenging patrons.... A thought-provoking resource that posits library safety as a responsibility shared by the entire staff. Albrecht's guidance will benefit all library workers, whether administrative or public-facing.

This book is a useful resource for all types of libraries and their employees. Library administrators and employees (including security officers) can use the recommendations in this book to both prepare for and respond to challenging situations. Furthermore, students in library school and those considering the profession could learn a lot about the challenges different types of libraries face and can use that information to make informed decisions about their career path.

This is a very comprehensive book on library security. All library staff and library administration will gain valuable insights and practical solutions in approaching this ever-changing topic.

About the Author

Since 2000, Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 25+ states, live and online, in service, safety, and security. His programs are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can use immediately in the library workspace with all types of patrons.

He is a frequent keynote speaker at regional and national library conferences, covering safety and security topics.

Each month, he creates webinars, blogs, and podcasts for Library 2.0, a training and information site for over 65,000 library professionals. Steve has written or been interviewed for several national and international library publications.

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 management.

In 1994, Steve co-wrote Ticking Bombs, one of the first business books on workplace violence prevention. It was featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."