The Blackbelt Librarian: Real World Safety & Security by Warren Graham

DiBello, Amy 

Graham, Warren. (2012). The Black Belt Librarian: Real-World Safety & Security. ALA Editions. Available from: American Library Association. 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Tel: 866-746-7252; Fax: 770-280-4155; e-mail: editionsmarketing@ala.org; Web site: http://www.alaeditions.org.

I was recently transferred to a public library in the center of the city with one of the busiest bus lines. Although 99% of our patrons come here for all the right reasons, the 1% can shake up our day. However, there's book to help you with troublemakers: The Blackbelt Librarian: Real World Safety and Security by library security expert Warren Graham. Graham has traveled all over the United States, empowering the meekest librarians to take charge of their libraries and stop cowering behind the reference desk. 

Security is about more than banning problem patrons. It's about protecting your collection from theft, your peaceful patrons from harassment, and preventing your staff from becoming exhausted and embittered. This empowering book is also funny and realistic. Graham has been in the trenches with stressed out librarians and seen first hand what they're up against. He sums up his philosophy as "playing chess with the checker players" and treating everyone fairly. 

Here is how ALA sums up his book: 

Sharing expertise gleaned from more than two decades as a library security manager, Graham demonstrates that libraries can maintain their best traditions of openness and public access by creating an unobtrusive yet effective security plan. In straightforward language, the author

• Shows how to easily set clear expectations for visitors' behavior
• Presents guidelines for when and how to intervene when someone violates the code of conduct, including tips for approaching an unruly patron
• Offers instruction on keeping persistent troublemakers under control or permanently barred from the library
• Gives library staff tools for communicating effectively with its security professionals, including examples of basic documentation

The Black Belt Librarian arms librarians with the confidence and know-how they need to maintain a comfortable, productive, and safe environment for everyone in the library.

I had the pleasure of attending one of Warren Graham's workshops at the New Mexico Library Association in 2015. He had the room roaring with laughter in between role playing our most common security challenges. At one point, he even chased a librarian around the room to emphasize what he referred to as a "game over" scenario, when a librarian absolutely needs to stop negotiating and pick up the phone and call 911 instead.

Design Thinking for Libraries: A Process Model for Putting Patron Needs First

Van Halsema, Pamela

Citation:
Ideo. (2015). Design Thinking for Libraries: A Toolkit for Patron Centered Design. Retrieved May 1,        2017, from Design Thinking for Libraries website: http://www.designthinkingforlibraries.com

Summary:
The Design Thinking for Libraries publication describes a process that libraries can use to approach the design of space and services based on the needs of their patrons first and foremost.  This publication is part of a series from Ideo, and offshoot of the Stanford D School, which has made a name for itself in developing a process model for human centered design.  The process is largely centered on three steps: Inspiration, Ideation, and Iteration.  The publication provides an overview of the process, with case studies and explanations, and a practical toolkit which guides the librarian through the process at their own site.

Analysis:
I've been a fan of Design Thinking as a strong model for rethinking and refashioning systems to make them better from a user's perspective.  There is clearly lots of room for reflection on that idea in the library space, as so many times our systems can become the boss of our work, instead of a more empathetic approach to redesign our policies, procedures, programs and spaces to make the patron experience great.

Just like our inquiry learning process we teach in our libraries, the design thinking process begins with a question: How might we......??  (eg. How might we create user friendly web experiences that are on par with the 21st century digital landscape? or How might we create a welcoming ambiance in the library environment that encourages users to linger and stay?) Simply the fact that these questions and search for answers are conducted in a collaborative process that involves many stakeholders and most importantly some patrons, this approach to problem solving can be a powerful opportunity to get to know how others view the library and learn how to make it better.

Several possible solutions emerge in the process and quick experimental implementations, help reveal whether they are effective approaches.  Research, communication, visualization, and iteration are all important elements to finding the best answers to the 'How might we' question.

Along with empathy for the patron, the process involved humility for the librarian, and a willingness to listen, look, and respond to the experiences of the people who use the library.  Perhaps such an approach is what we need to reinvent ourselves and remain relevant in this shifting information landscape that threatens the very existence of libraries today.