CBC: How Libraries in Some Canadian Cities Deal With Security Risks

From the CBC:

Millennium Library [in Winnipeg] isn’t alone in Canada when it comes to dealing with safety-related incidents, but some other libraries have stopped short of resorting to the enhanced security measures introduced at Winnipeg’s largest branch.

The downtown library reopened Monday, with a walk-through metal detector, security screeners and uniformed police officers added, following a fatal stabbing six weeks earlier.

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Libraries in Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver also have security personnel staffing some of their branches, according to statements emailed to CBC News from public library spokespersons in each of those cities.

But unlike Winnipeg’s flagship branch, no library in Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, or Vancouver has introduced metal detectors as a security measure, those spokespersons wrote.

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Libraries are facing challenges that aren’t unique to any one community, but a handful of cities that are part of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council have joined a new safety and security working group.

Library leaders from Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Hamilton are all part of the group, which Robertson said was formed earlier this month.

“One of the things libraries do best is sharing information and collaborating,” she said. “This working group is an opportunity to do just that, better understand the needs and how we can support.”

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Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries