The Safe Library - Service, Safety, & Security with Dr. Steve Albrecht

Kinda, Sorta Patron Behavior Problems
Two "Ask Dr. Steve" questions and my (hopefully enlightened) responses.
Dr. Steve Albrecht

In my webinar and coaching work for Library 2.0 (www.Library20.com), I have an open invitation to the 60,000+ members (free to join, so that means you need to sign up too, right after reading this) to send me their questions about library life, patron behavior issues, and leadership, management, and supervisory stuff. Two recent queries point to what could be defined as the “Gray Areas” of patron behavior. The two examples to follow aren’t disruptive, scary, or dangerous, but they are issues.

Some library folk might read these two examples and decide, “If those were happening in my library, we would address it.” Others mights say, “Eh, we got bigger fish to fry” and not discuss it with either patron.

I always use the measure of “business impact,” as in, “Does this issue impact the business of running a safe, secure, peaceful, and accessible library? If not, move on. If so, do something (which can be small and useful instead of large and disruptive).”

As you review the two scenarios, ask yourself: “Would we address this in my library? And if so, how would we address this in my library?” There are plenty of ways to do things; here were my two approaches:

Ask Dr. Steve: “Patron with Potential Communicable Disease?”

Dear Dr. Steve - We have a patron who comes in with what appears to be some type of insect infestation, perhaps lice. He scratches constantly when he is here. Some staff think he may also have scabies, which is contagious but not easily spread. We’re not medical doctors, but we know what we see and it’s concerning. We ask parents who bring in their kids who have head lice to please take them home and treat it before they return. We have a specific policy about hygiene, body odors, and offensive smells, but this seems to go beyond this. Signed, Concerned Librarian

Dr. Steve: Dear Concerned - This is a challenging concern that needs an accurate, legal response, empathy toward the person, and an assessment as to the impact on staff and patrons in the library. We’re in different territory beyond just hygiene and body odor. If there is a legitimate concern about communicable diseases and biohazards, you need to enforce your Code of Conduct or written policy, carefully and with tact. It can help to get advice from your library’s legal authority (City Attorney, County Counsel, Board Attorney). The best person to speak with the patron is usually a supervisor with good communication skills and empathy, but who is also assertive about the issue.

Sample Patron Conversation: "I know this is probably embarrassing to you, but we have some concerns that you may have a possible skin disease. Our policy is to ask people who have a medical condition that could spread to others to leave and get treatment before they return. We are not singling you out or targeting you, and I realize this is an uncomfortable personal issue. But we have to enforce our policy just like we would if someone came in with Covid, the flu, or a bloody, open wound. I have a list of nearby health clinics where you can get treatment. You're welcome to come back after you're cleared by them."

Ask Dr. Steve: “Is the Patron Praying, Meditating, or Sleeping?”

Dear Dr. Steve - Our Code of Conduct prohibits patrons from sleeping in the library. Our staff is quite lenient on this issue and they usually just “verbally nudge people awake” and remind them about the rule. There are some patrons who come here just to sleep and when staff wakes them up from an obvious deep sleep they say, “I wasn’t sleeping! I was praying or meditating and you disrupted me!”

This seems like a highly prepared answer, of course, and it kind of catches staff off guard, like it really was their fault for disrupting this patron’s worship or mediation. What should we do? Signed, Puzzled Librarian

Dr. Steve Albrecht: Dear Puzzled - This does sound like an answer that patrons who have been told repeatedly not to sleep have carefully crafted to shift the focus from their behavior on to the staff who is “harassing” them. In my world, this is known as an “excuse,” not a valid reason, and as such, we should treat it like any other excuse by not arguing back and forth as to who was doing what, but by “putting a fence around the excuse,” and moving on to the solutions.

Here are the steps, using my ARC tool:

Acknowledge what they just said, without having to agree or disagree that was what they were doing: “Oh, okay. I thought you were sleeping. I can see how that might be confusing for both of us.”

Reaffirm/Remind them of the no-sleeping policy, even if you have told them many times before: “I think we might have already talked about this, and if so, I just wanted to tell you again, you cannot sleep in the library.”

Commit/Conclude: “I know you want to follow the library rules, right? So you can use and enjoy the library without being asked to leave, right? Can I get your promise to follow that guideline for me, so you can stay? Thanks.”

When we deal with people all day - and since we can’t pick and choose our customers, we get who walks through the door. Their behaviors range from zero impact to a significant impact. Not everything needs to be addressed and not everything is a crisis. We can overreact to things just as easily as under-react.

It helps to remind ourselves of what psychologist Abraham Maslow said way back in 1966: “It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”

Not surprisingly, this is my next webinar topic. (Gray Areas, not hammers and nails.) I’ll be doing my usual Thursday webinar for Library 2.0 on September 18 at 2:00 pm EST. Sign up today for your free membership and you’ll get all the details when L20 founder, CEO, and AI for Libraries guru Steve Hargadon posts the webinar details.