Safety Improvements

In response to a few unfortunate incidents in our parking lots, we are adding pedestrian crosswalk signs to SW and NW. We are also adding a stop sign to the back exit of the NS parking lot. Hopefully this will cause people to slow down and watch for people.

In response to our trouble with teen visitors lately, I have met with Alderman Curt Wilson, the city attorney, and the KPD Deputy Chief to discuss tactics for more control. Currently there are no "NO Loitering" signs in the SW parking lot, which makes it difficult for KPD to remove unruly children from the SW parking lot after hours. The neighborhood is complaining that they are blaring music and bellowing curse words at all hours from our parking lot. We will be adding those signs shortly.

To support our staff, we will be offering a three part training we're calling "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
Part 1, "The Good" will focus on a scenario where many teens show up unexpectedly. Although we are glad they have chosen the library, their sheer numbers call for some quick tried and true classroom management techniques to control and engage large numbers of young people in a positive way that provides a great experience for visitors and staff. We'll bring in a seasoned educator to help us understand how to do this.
Part 2, "The Bad" deals with the same scenario as "The Good" but adds a few troublemakers who consume your energy and sour everyone's experience. We'll ask a community professional who deals with  crowds of kids including at-risk kids to help us with that scenario.
Part 3 "The Ugly" deals with large scale gang like behavior like the destructive team of 11 who have swept through NS lately and wreaked havoc. We'll bring in the experts from Gang Prevention to coach us through repose measures for this segment.

We'll schedule training before the library opens so everyone can attend. If you are in direct contact with the public, this training will be mandatory, but I encourage all of you to attend, as these skills will be useful not only at work, but in your personal lives, as well. Our intent is that you feel more confident and more safe as these incidents continue. As a public institution, we cannot control who comes into our buildings. Dealing with the broad array of personalities and age groups is one of the things we have to become good at. Look for training opportunities soon!