Our Library 2.0 "Safe Library" training programs for library staffers and leaders cover service, security, safety, supervision, and even a little stress management. Our goal is to help to keep all library employees physically and psychologically safe, making it easier for them to serve all patrons in their facilities.
Dr. Albrecht's podcast recordings and feed are to the right, and following immediately below that is a full list of his blog posts. A full list of paid webinars is to the left.
June 19, 2025
Dr. Albrecht's blog posts are below. One of the features of his blog is "ASK DR. STEVE," where readers submit questions and he answers them. To submit a question for Dr. Steve, please email askdrsteve@library20.com.
See all posts HERE.
Service, Safety, and Security at Your Library: Tools and Tips You Can Use
by Dr. Steve Albrecht
Service, safety, and security at the library are every employee’s responsibility. These three concepts can help us create a place that provides benefits for staff and patrons. We can define them collectively as:
Service is an on-going opportunity for us all, every day, with every patron encounter and to and for our colleagues.
Safety is having awareness, information about potential problems, previous incidents, and continued vigilance. We can all make a difference to keep patrons and co-workers safe, especially by sharing or supporting staff concerns.
Security is everybody’s responsibility, including library leaders, employees, full and part-timers; volunteers; and even our patrons and vendors. They can all tell us what we need to recognize and address.
There are also three important staff keys to a safe library. All staff should ask themselves, “Do I feel...?”
Physically safe: Coming to work, working at my library, and leaving work?
Mentally safe: Confident, empowered, able to concentrate on my daily tasks, and serve the library patrons and my colleagues? Not distracted, anxious, or fearful?
Emotionally safe: Stable, grounded, in control of my feelings, thoughts, actions, and decisions, and I’m comfortable establishing personal limits and boundaries, as to how I want to be treated by patrons?
Every facility that is open to the public creates an “invitee relationship,” meaning because we invite people into our building (both staff and patrons), we have a legal duty (as best as we can) to provide a space that is safe from harm (hazards, problem people).
Library staff needs to help their leadership team identify their main patron behavioral issues (our “frequent fliers”) and who are their most challenging patrons. Use staff meetings to create useful and repeatable responses for dealing with them. (Remember that patrons are usually challenging rather than difficult; it’s an important descriptive distinction.)
All staff need to recognize two primary types of patron body language; what we can call “green light” behaviors versus “red light” behaviors:
Positive, non-threatening: smiles; nods in agreement; offers to shake hands; hands down/palms open; even, neutral, polite, friendly tone; non-aggressive eye contact; calm breathing; standing still; reasonable volume; early cooperation.
Hostile, threatening: sudden flushed or contorted face; direct and forceful eye contact; widening eyes; frowning; faster breathing; licking lips; flexing fists; crossing and uncrossing arms; shifting foot to foot; finger pointing; swallowing; sudden sweating; space violating; rises up to appear larger; on the verge of tears; curses; counter or table-pounding; kicks objects; loud at first then quiet; all of which can be a precursor to violence.
We need to follow our intuition during any intense conversations or hostile encounters with someone. Assess the actual likely outcome versus our own fears or anxieties. In other words, don’t overreact and don’t underreact.
When it comes to enforcing our Code of Conduct, remember our Essential Eight: We are firm, fair, consistent, assertive, legal, patient, empathic, and reasonable with everyone we encounter.
We need to build our communication skills to know how to help people who are struggling. We need to be aware of the diversity in the communities we serve and be ready to use different strategies to help them.
We need to have and continue to develop a set of tools to both relate and de-escalate with patrons with mental health, housing, and substance use issues. We need to know what our community and social support resources are, for those patrons, including knowing when to call paramedics when these patrons are having serious medical problems.
We need to know what our building safety procedures (e.g., using panic buttons) and emergency evacuation procedures are. Know how and where to escort patrons who have mobility issues to those exits. Know the Run-Hide-Fight response to the rare possibility of an active shooter. (Go to YouTube and watch the Cal State University system’s version of “Run-Hide-Fight.”)
If there isn’t already one in place, it can help to create an employee-led Safety Committee. This group should meet quarterly, to discuss issues and then bring concerns, ideas, policy improvements, or solutions to the Library Director.
Accurate and timely documentation helps us make better policy decisions and justify our need for security improvements to elected officials and library boards. We can’t fix what we (and they) don’t know about. All staff need to know how to report security incidents or safety hazards and how to create a Security Incident Report.
We can be both "kind and firm" with patrons. We don't have to say those words, but we can think of them when we talk. Remember our motto when it comes to the safe use of the library for all: Educate with Patience; Enforce with Kindness.
Lastly, public service jobs with lots of transactions and high contact can be frustrating, tiring, and stressful. Let’s all recognize our self-care needs. Look for wellness opportunities at work and search online for professional and personal stress management tools on and off the job.
More at the www.TheSafeLibrary.com
Dr. Steve Albrecht helps all types of libraries provide good service and keep themselves and their facilities and collections secure, while dealing with increasingly challenging patrons. His two books on this subject include: The Safe Library (Rowman, 2023) and Library Security (ALA, 2015).
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Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, and security. 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. His new book, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, was just published by 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 25 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives in Springfield, Missouri, with six dogs and two cats.
More on The Safe Library at thesafelibrary.com. Follow on X (Twitter) at @thesafelibrary and on YouTube @thesafelibrary. Dr. Albrecht's professional website is drstevealbrecht.com.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for presenting at our staff development day. Our staff has expressed their appreciation for the information and tools you provided. We know the lessons learned will be useful in our day-to-day work. It was a pleasure to have you with us -- even if it was only virtually." - Athens, GA Library
"I wanted to thank you for the session. My husband was listening from the other room and said, 'Wow, that was great!' This was the best library workshop I've been to, and I've been to a lot! The staff was saying the same in emails." - Emily from MI
"Your suggestions of what to say to challenging patrons will really help me once we allow patrons back into the library. Thanks!" - Lori from IL
"Not only have I learned incredibly valuable skills to use in my career as a public librarian, those lessons will have a ripple effect as I teach a course on Social Crisis Management... I always give Dr. Albrecht the credit in the portions of my lecture and presentation. And have first hand experiences using these lessons to support his approach. Thanks again for lending your expertise to ensure that as librarians we can remain safe, keep our customers safe and still deliver on our mission and the meaningful work we do each day." - Jen
"You helped to keep my brain from turning into mush during this long time off. Thank you!" - C. from MO
"I was able to view Library Safety and Security and Interacting with the Homeless. I learned so much and appreciate the education you offered. I became aware of changes, large and small that I can make in my life to enhance how I interact with all people. I do hope our library offers your classes in the future because I did not view all the webinars that I wanted to and I am sure my coworkers feel the same. Thank you again." - Vicki from VA
"I wanted to send you a note of thanks for your webinars... I watched 5 of them and found them to be incredibly informative. Currently I am working with my library's director to put together a situation response manual for safety and security matters that apply to our own library... What you have shared has been very useful to help set up some guidelines and decide a good direction for training within our organization. Thank you so much for sharing your insights." - Jennifer from IN
"Thank you for the great content. I appreciate it." - Carmen from MT
"[I] found [your webinars] extremely helpful and informative. Thanks again and stay safe!" - Christine from PA
"I remember when you came to our Annual Employee Training Session and presented a terrific class. I was able to view all of your webinars during this time and I learned so much. Your generosity of spirit during this pandemic is truly appreciated and your kindness will be remembered. Thanks again and Cheers." - Bernadette from CA
"We have watched a couple of [your webinars] in the past and they always provide a great approach to issues that are becoming more and more common in public libraries." - Rod from TX
"Your webinars were educational and inspiring." - Karen from GA
"I have recently watched all your webinars... (this begins to sound like a groupie saying, "I have all your records!") and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from them. They were probably the best work at home professional development material I encountered in the two months my library has been closed. I've worked in public libraries since 1988 and everything you said makes sense in my experience. I look forward to putting what I learned from your webinars to use when we eventually reopen to the people the library exists for. Many thanks!" - Barbara from BC Canada
"I've learned a lot from your diverse offerings as I knew that I would. I listened to 4 of your webinars at this run. I also attended your talk last year at one of our branch libraries. I hope that your presentations remain in my mind and that your practical, philosophical and respectful methods of engagement can be brought forth in times of need." - Deborah from CA
"We don't always take the time to do online courses or participate in webinars because of time and money restraints. We have been lucky to have the time now to take advantage of these opportunities. Your webinars really pack a lot of info in the time allotted. Your observations and surveys conducted with staff across the country made this applicable and the reality. Many of the situations described sound like our day to day interactions with patrons. Again thank you so much for these valuable webinars. I hope we will be open soon and able to put your tips into practice." - Kathy from MD
"I’ve really enjoyed all of your webinars, especially the ones about security and challenging patrons, and I’ve gained some useful knowledge that I can utilize at my library. I hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks again!" - Deborah from OH
"You're the best of the best." - Nick from CA
"I have found your webinars especially helpful during this time of stay-at-home orders and the inability to report to work for my daily schedule. (My branch is closed indefinitely.) I have especially found "Interacting with the Homeless" and "Stress Management for Library Staff" as the most help to date. I have been doing daily meditation as a stress reliever and taking time to find happiness despite all that is taking place in this world.... having this opportunity to listen to your thought-processes is very invigorating and life-changing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart." - Danielle from MD
"[Y]ou've expanded our minds and helped us greatly with your generosity. Thank you for all that you do, I appreciate it immensely." - Valerie from TX
"Thank you very much for your work and very good webinar." - Donna from IN
"I appreciate your vast knowledge on patrons and safety situations." - Mary from IL
"I've long wanted to explore your work, and have enjoyed and learned from 4 of your webinars so far, with plans to view them all. They are excellent! I am charged with leading our staff around issues of safety and security in our rural system, and you are a clear and dynamic voice in our field. I really appreciate your experience, knowledge, and presentation style, down to talking fast to get the most information into the time of the presentation! Hopefully, I'll be able to obtain the new edition of your book soon, as I hope to keep these themes as relevant currents for the duration of my career." - Kimberlee from CA
Additionally:
"Thank you for your wonderful `Safety and Security in the Library' presentation. I so appreciate that you were able to join us virtually this year and share your knowledge on these topics with our library staff. I look forward to exploring some of the resources you shared with us."
"Thanks so much for recording the presentation. It was fantastic!"
"Thank you, Dr Steve, for your presentation today. It was very helpful and insightful. Your subtle humor also lightened the mood."
"I wanted to reach out and thank you for all the information that you gave in your webinar on conducting a library facility security assessment."
Watch Dr. Steve Albrecht on video and onstage, as he presents his safety and security workshop, "Dealing With Challenging Patrons" to a live library audience. 45 minutes for unlimited staff showings at a one-time $495 fee or included in any all-access pass program.
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