New Albrecht Blog Post on Library 2.0 - Libraries in the “First Amendment Threat Space”: Book Banners, Content Protesters, and Program Haters

We've just posted a new blog post by Dr. Albrecht in our "Library Service, Safety, & Security" section of Library 2.0: "Libraries in the “First Amendment Threat Space”: Book Banners, Content Protesters, and Program Haters."

In a recent Library 2.0 webinar, where I was speaking about so-called First Amendment “Auditors” (their own-self created title, don’t forget), I advised libraries to respond to these highly-disruptive people in their facilities or board meetings as follows.

Assess all threats, protests, angry confrontations, or other negative encounters with these individuals or groups, using a team-based approach. You should already have a team in place. Whether you call it a Threat Assessment Team, a Critical Incident Team, or a Safety and Security Team, the name doesn’t matter as much as the members...

You should request a law enforcement response to all incidents from a ranking member of your local agency, preferably a lieutenant or above. The first one or two patrol officers or patrol deputies who respond initially may not know a lot about the tactics of these First Amendment “Auditors,” and may escalate the situation by arguing with them or trying to make an arrest that is not actually legal.

All staff needs awareness-building training and to be reminded to have “polite patience” and the confidence to say and do the right things when confronted by individuals or groups of protesters. These First Amendment “Auditors” (FAAs) will want to argue with them; question their motives and abilities; or debate the law, Code of Conduct, or library use or materials policies. (This is never a good idea, since there is no winning this debate.) All staff need to remember to be neutral while these FAAs are making a video record of their encounters for later posting on social media sites....

You can read the full post here. 

While Dr. Albrecht's twice-monthly podcast and blog posts are available for free, as are our regular mini-conferences and all the conference recordings, we also offer a series of Dr. Albrecht paid webinars and recordings which are available for individual or group viewing here.

Webinar Recordings Available:

DR. STEVE ALBRECHT

Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, security, and supervision. 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. He is currently writing the sequel, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, for 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 24 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives with six dogs, two cats, and three chickens. (Not all in the same room, of course.)

The Annual All-Access Pass Programs (Individual and Institutional) for the Library 2.0 Webinar Series

Library 2.0 has a collection of 45 recorded webinars and four "bonus" videos from Dr. Steve Albrecht in our Service, Safety, and Security collection. These are available for unlimited viewing as part of an individual or organizational annual all-access pass, as well as any webinars held during the year after purchase (one or two a month).

Individual all-access annual passes are $495 and can be purchased by credit card directly here. If you have attended and paid for two or more of Dr. Albrecht's webinars in the past 12 months, you qualify for a $100 discount--please email admin@library20.com and let us know to send you a special invoice. If you need to pay by check or if the credit card process doesn't work for some reason, please also email admin@library20.com. 

Organizational all-access pass programs are significantly discounted and are based on the number of staff you would like to participate. These passes can be administered through Library 2.0 or at Niche Academy for organizations that already have an account with them. Once purchased, all staff who are included in the all-access program can watch any of the videos as often as they would like, and there is an ability for them to request certificates of participation/attendance for each. 

For an organizational quote, please email admin@library20.com and indicate the number of staff who would participate. We will reply within a day. You are also welcome to ask for a phone call to discuss your particular needs.

The webinar recordings included in the all-access pass are listed below, as well as four special Dr. Albrecht programs. More information about Dr. Albrecht is also below.

"See you online!"

Steve

Steve Hargadon

Library 2.0

P.S. Don't miss Dr. Albrecht's webinar tomorrow, December 15th, "First Amendment 'Auditors' in the Library: Our Safe, Legal, and Reasonable Response."

RECORDINGS AVAILABLE:

• The Essential Library Guide to Service, Safety, and Security: 25 Tips for What Works and What Doesn't
• Bomb Threats and Bullets in the Book Drop: What to Do About Threats to the Library
• Patron Harassment Scenarios: What to Do as a Staffer and a Leader
• Library Politics: Better Dealings With Your Elected, and Appointed Officials
• Medical Emergencies at the Library: What to Do Until the Paramedics Arrive
• Good Kids, Bad Behaviors: What to Do About Unruly Young People in the Library
• Librarians as Mandated Reporters: Child Abuse, Dependent Adult Abuse, and Elder Abuse
• Ten Library Service Myths Every Librarian Should Challenge
• Porn and Patrons in the Library: What to Do About a Vexing Issue
• Handling Complaints or Protests About Content: Service, Security, and Training for All Staff and Library Leaders
• Protecting Yourselves and Your Patrons: Important Lessons for Library Leaders and Staff from School Shootings
• Ten Security Myths That Every Librarian Needs to Know Are Wrong - and Exactly Why
• Customer Service in Stressful Situations: Step-by-Step to Better Interactions with Patrons
• Dangerous Situations: Handling Real Challenges and Keeping Everyone Safe
• Library Civility: Taking Care of Each Other
• Awkward Conversations & Difficult Situations: How to the Hardest Discussions with Patrons
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Your Library: How to Start Talking About DEI
• Collection Protection: Preventing Thefts, Vandalism, Fires, and Other Large and Small Library Disasters
• Gangs in the Library: A Serious Security Issue
• Team Success: Better Results Through Focused Team Building, Internal Support, Clear Communication, and Conflict Resolution
• Becoming a Resilient Librarian: Taking the Path Away From Stress and Burnout
• Ten Tools for the (New) Library Supervisor: Starting Out Right
• Post-Pandemic Staff Development and Training: How Can We Best Support It?
• Serving Patrons with Mental Health Isssues: Support, Empathy, and Safety
• Customer Service All-Staff Skills Refresher: Library Interactions and the Moments of Truth
• The Substance Abusing Patron: Staff Safety and the Public Health
• Helping Library Patrons with Autism: Start with Understanding
• Serving Library Patrons with a Trauma History: An Awareness-Building Seminar
• Service Leadership for Librarians: Six Strategies for Success
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Library: Expectations and Awareness
• Better Communications with Our Patrons and Employees: What is Your 'I-Speak Your Language' Type?
• Performance Evaluations: A Skill-Building Refresher for Library Leaders
• The Safe Library: Lessons (I’ve Learned) in Keeping Staff and Patrons Better Protected
• Tools for Tense Situations: Reducing Conflicts With Patrons As Libraries Return to the New Normal
• Your Library and the Police: Time for a New Relationship
• Library Emergencies - Doing the Right Things When Things Go Wrong
• Library Safety & Security 2020 (Expanded)
• Interacting with the Homeless
• Sexual Harassment of Library Staff
• Security for Rural Librarians
• How to Handle Challenging Patrons
• Stress Management for Library Staff
• Coaching Skills for Library Managers and Supervisors: Getting Better Performance and Behavior From Your Employees One Meeting at a Time
• Responding to an Active Shooter in the Library: Protecting Patrons and Staff From a Rare But Catastrophic Event
• Responding to an Active Shooter in the Library: Protecting Patrons and Staff From a Rare But Catastrophic Event
• All-Acess Passholder Bonus Video: "Dealing With Challenging Patrons" (organizations are licensed to show this to all staff)
• All-Acess Passholder Bonus Video: "Helping Library Leaders Create a Service Excellence Culture" with Best-selling Author Dr. Karl Albrecht
• All-Acess Passholder Bonus Video: "Safety and Security at the Jacksonville (FL) Library"
• All-Acess Passholder Bonus Video: "Forgiveness: How Libraries Can Host Programs on Restorative Practices - An Interview with Azim Khamisa"

Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, security, and supervision. 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. He is currently writing the sequel, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, for 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 24 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives with six dogs, two cats, and three chickens. (Not all in the same room, of course.)

Praise for Dr. Albrecht:

"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."

New Library 2.0 Podcast: "Interview with Christian Riehl on Homelessness" | Thursday Webinar: "First Amendment 'Auditors'"

We've just posted a new Dr. Albrecht podcast in our "Library Service, Safety, & Security" section of Library 2.0: "Interview with Christian Riehl on Homelessness." Christian is a Homeless Outreach Coordinator at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and he gives advice for helping those who are experiencing homelessness and for when a library might be challenged with problematic behavior.

Albrecht: "What do you think the average patrol officer or patrol deputy doesn't get about homelessness, doesn't understand about the homeless population? What do you think the gaps in their knowledge are most about?"

Riel: "...Homelessness is not a criminal matter. Unless they're committing a crime, then that's a different story. But if someone asks them, "hey, can you can you remove this person in my property?" the deputies could actually ask them to leave, but if it's in a private area, if that's a public area, and they're a patron, that's the difficult part. So the balance there is how know how good the deputy is to defuse the situation and offer a solution versus taking a person out [of the area]. So depending on the tool that he has, or knowledge, that's, that's kind of like the game changer. On our side, we actually train some of the deputies, and they have our numbers. And when they get a call, they will actually piggyback with us and ask them, "hey, I got this guy in the library, or I got this guy who needs help... how can we help them?" So by doing that, it makes it a more humanitarian way versus arresting your way, in a sense, out of the problem. So we all work with each other... our relationship with law enforcement, the county workers who assist with homelessness or nonprofits--those are your key elements, those are your key ingredients to serve the population that is in dire need of help."

Listen to the podcast here. 

While Dr. Albrecht's twice-monthly podcast and blog posts are available for free, as are our regular mini-conferences and all the conference recordings, we also offer a series of Dr. Albrecht paid webinars and recordings which are available for individual or group viewing here.

Coming Up:

Webinar Recordings Available:

DR. STEVE ALBRECHT

Since 2000, Dr. 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 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. He is currently writing the sequel, The Safe Library: Keeping Staff and Patrons Secure in a Changing World.

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 24 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives with seven dogs, two cats, and three chickens.

New Dr. Albrecht Library 2.0 Podcast: "DEI and BELONGING" | Next Week Webinar: "First Amendment 'Auditors'"

We've just posted a new Dr. Albrecht podcast in our "Library Service, Safety, & Security" section of Library 2.0: "DEI and BELONGING."

"I was on a panel with two other folks, and we talked this past week about DEIB. And I had never heard the B for DEIB, I'd heard of, of course, diversity, equity and inclusion, but the B is belonging. And I think that's such a great phrase. I've been thinking about the conversations that we had as part of our work. For the panel discussion we had a pre-meeting where we talked about what we're going to talk about, and then we had such a great conversation with the people that we were online--I think about 100 or so--talking about this idea of where diversity works, not only from an HR perspective, but from a leadership perspective, as well. 

"I'm really just fascinated by the way that that belonging has become part of the DEI conversation. So of course, when you talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, a big part of inclusion is making sure people feel valued, appreciated, supported. That we don't have have discrimination, that we don't have retaliation, that the phrase inclusion means that people are not exposed to microaggressions. That they're not exposed to mistreatment, by taxpayers, patrons, customers, colleagues, bosses, vendors, that type of thing. 

"But I really liked the idea of belongingness, to say, not only as part of the diversity conversation, but as part of the new employee conversation when we bring people into the library world. And this idea of belonging to me especially goes back to how we prepare our organizations for new people coming in so that they succeed, and that we create a sense of stability and welcomeness, and the idea that we want to make people glad that they chose to work there, there's lots of places people can work..."

Listen to the full podcast here. 

While Dr. Albrecht's twice-monthly podcast and blog posts are available for free, as are our regular mini-conferences and all the conference recordings, we also offer a series of Dr. Albrecht paid webinars and recordings which are available for individual or group viewing here.

Coming Up:

Webinar Recordings Available:

DR. STEVE ALBRECHT

Since 2000, Dr. 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 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. He is currently writing the sequel, The Safe Library: Keeping Staff and Patrons Secure in a Changing World.

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 24 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives with seven dogs, two cats, and three chickens.

New Webinar: "First Amendment 'Auditors' in the Library: Our Safe, Legal, and Reasonable Response"

First Amendment “Auditors” in the Library:
Our Safe, Legal, and Reasonable Response
Part of the Library 2.0 "Essential Library" Series with Dr. Steve Albrecht

OVERVIEW: 

Every school kid learns that the First Amendment doesn’t protect all speech--“You can’t yell 'Fire!' in a crowded theater” is the most common example. Today, there are groups and individuals, at both ends of the political spectrum, who feel it’s their right to come into a governmental office and film or photograph the activities of the employees and visitors receiving services. These encounters are usually designed to create a confrontation that the “auditors” (their self-described label for themselves) post extensively on social media. Their goal is usually driven by their desire for publicity, to question the business operations, and even to disrupt the activities.

Libraries and their leaders and employees have faced many of these encounters, usually over content, materials, displays, meetings, or programs the “auditors” disagree with, usually around sexual orientation, race, or political views. Libraries and their employees need to know the best service, safety, and security practices for these potentially difficult encounters.

This is a 60-minute training webinar presented by Library 2.0 and hosted by ALA author and library service, safety, and security expert, Dr. Steve Albrecht. (Steve is not a lawyer and this session is neither legal advice nor a substitute for qualified legal advice from a licensed attorney.) A handout copy of the presentation slides will be available to all who participate.

LEARNING AGENDA: 

• How do we accurately define the “public’s right to access”?
• Does every person have the right to take photographs or make video recordings in a library?
• Define these three areas: a public forum; a designated public forum; and a non-public forum--and what it means in the library space.
• When do libraries need to call the police?
• Who can we call on for legal advice?
• How can we make the best use of our policies, signage, security procedures, and Code of Conduct?

DATE: Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 2:00 pm US - Eastern Time

COST:

• $99/person - includes any-time access to the recording and the presentation slides and receiving a participation certificate. To arrange group discounts (see below), to submit a purchase order, or for any registration difficulties or questions, email admin@library20.com.
• FREE for those on individual or group all-access passes (see below).

TO REGISTER: 

Click above to pay. You can pay by credit card, and will receive an email within a day with information on how to attend the webinar live and then your permanent access to the webinar recording. If you have any trouble registering for a webinar, if you need to be invoiced or pay by check, or if you have any questions, please email admin@library20.com. NOTE: please check your spam folder if you don't receive your confirmation email right away.

SPECIAL GROUP RATES (email admin@library20.com to arrange):

• Multiple individual log-ins and access from the same organization paid together: $75 each for 3+ registrations, $65 each for 5+ registrations. Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.
• The ability to show the webinar (live or recorded) to a group located in the same physical location or in the same virtual meeting from one log-in: $299.
• Large-scale institutional access for viewing with individual login capability: $499 (hosted either at Library 2.0 or in Niche Academy). Unlimited and non-expiring access for those log-ins.

ALL-ACCESS PASSES:

• All-access annual passes include unlimited access to the recordings of all of Dr. Albrecht's previous Library 2.0 webinars, plus live and recorded access to his new webinars for one year. These are hosted either at Library 2.0 or Niche Academy (if preferred).
• For a $499 individual all-access annual pass to all of Dr. Albrecht's live webinars and recordings for one year, please click here. 
• Inquiries for all-access organizational contracts should be directed to admin@library20.com.

Webinar Recordings Available:

DR. STEVE ALBRECHT

Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, security, and supervision. 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. He is currently writing the sequel, The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure, for 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 24 books on business, security, and leadership topics. He lives with six dogs, two cats, and three chickens. (Not all in the same room, of course.)