Photo by Katie Turpen.
Library in the Forest
The Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest recently received funding to hire a security officer to address several concerns raised by library staff.
After the Vestavia Hills City Council recently passed the new year’s budget, the city’s library can now move forward in finding a security officer to address concerns encountered in the past year, including disrespectful children and adults, patrons viewing sexually-explicit material and other issues.
The budget funds a position for about $31,500, and while the library has had to rely on the police in the past, the city’s communications director, Cinnamon McCulley, said the position will not be filled by one of the city’s officers.
McCulley said the library is still a safe place, and there have been no instances of physical attacks, but they want to take a “proactive” move to address concerns before they escalate and put a staff member in harm’s way.
“People do illegal and illicit things online,” McCulley said. “... People are getting a little more free with what they do and what they’re willing to do in public.”
Patrons have been caught viewing pornography, and there was one incident where an older man videotaped female college students while they studied, McCulley said. Other incidents involve patrons being belligerent with staff, vandalizing the bathrooms and other areas, confronting other guests, bringing non-service animals into the library and confronting other guests, according to the budget request made by library staff.
In the request, the staff indicated that patrons urinated in the elevator, which McCulley confirmed happened.
After school lets out in the afternoon, many children walk over to the library to wait to be picked up by their parents, McCulley said, and at times, they haven’t been respectful to staff. In the budget request, library staff indicated children will tell staff they don’t have to listen to them, will pick fights with other children and play where they don’t need to be playing.
While the library can ask children to leave and trespass them, McCulley said they try not to do that as they understand children will be children. With the new security officer, McCulley said children may respect him or her more as they respect those in uniform more than other library staff.
The security officer will also be available to help as needed with the roughly 700 events the library hosts every year, McCulley said, and can help with parking and other needs. The position is expected to be filled around March 2019, she said.
