Jada Braun Safety in Media Center Policy September 16, 2011

Every school library media specialist wants to provide students with an environment that is conducive for learning. By implementing a safety policy, you are ensuring that students are effective users of ideas and information and becoming critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information. (A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f S c h o o l L i b r a r i a n s , 2 0 0 9 ) According to the Library Leadership and Management Association ( " L i b r a r y s e c u r i t y g u i d e l i n e s , " 2 0 1 0 ) , which is a division of the American Library Association, security is defined as a common synonym for physical protection that includes fire protection and emergency planning. ( " L i b r a r y s e c u r i t y g u i d e l i n e s , " 2 0 1 0 ) These elements are the major components of a media center safety policy. What is the purpose of a safety policy? Safety policies should first and foremost be put into practice to make certain that both library staff and students are protected from any type of physical harm. Along with the safety of staff and students, a safety policy can also include protection of the building, the contents of the building, and the surroundings of the building. According to the Library Security Guidelines Document, which was revised June 27, 2010, the media specialists safety and security responsibilities include, but are not limited, to the development and integration of protection programs for emergencies, as well as fire, floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. ( " L i b r a r y s e c u r i t y g u i d e l i n e s , " 2 0 1 0 ) Safety policies should also include rules and guidelines for staff and students to follow when they are in the media center. According to the LLAMA there are several elements that are essential for promoting safety and security in the media center. The first element to creating a safe

learning environment for students is the ability to set rules for the media center. Including a Code of Patron Conduct into the safety policy will make media center expectations concrete. Establishing the rules early, and by being consistent with the rules, the media center will be an environment where inappropriate behavior is not tolerated. Also, having the rules posted in a location visible to all students will be a constant reminder of media center expectations. An additional element essential to the development of a safety policy is anticipating, and taking reasonable measures to prevent predictable losses such as minor vandalism, injuries, theft of library materials or library user property, utility interruptions, and the non-return of items borrowed from the collection ( " L i b r a r y s e c u r i t y g u i d e l i n e s , " 2 0 1 0 ) . According to a 2002 article written by Media & Methods entitled Security issues in your library, surveys taken by school libraries with a collection of 5,000 items or more indicate that schools can loose a minimum of 3% of their collection in one year. If you assume that the average price of an item in a collection is $25, in one year a school can loose $3,750 in materials. Efforts are being made to prevent students from leaving the library with items that have not been properly checked out. An effective way to ensure that students are not leaving with items that they did not properly check out is to position the circulation desk at the main entrance area of the media center to better monitor students. Besides monitoring the students as they enter and exit the media center, many media centers are implementing a collection security system, which includes a radio frequency security system that sets off an alarm while exiting the library unless the security tag is disarmed by checking out the book. Although library collection security is a major safety issue in media centers, which is the, today there are more destructive breaches of security. Todays media specialist has to consider the safety

of electronic media, computer files, and technology equipment. Software security can be used in the media center to allow restricted software access to individuals. These securities can discourage students from accessing confidential records and also safeguarding software. Equipment security devices allow for technology equipment to be secured to furniture in the media center. These new advancements in security allow the media specialist to try to prevent loss of library materials and properties. Also, making sure that doors and windows are locked when the media center is unattended is essential. Another element to the safety policy includes preparing and keeping current a library fire evacuation plan and an emergency disaster plan for each library with specific staff instructions and directions. Sufficient exits and exiting guidelines should be incorporated into the emergency plans. Weekly libraries are affected by damaging storms and other disasters. School media specialist need to plan for disaster relief in the event of destructive weather or events. Beyond Words, the Dollar General school library relief fund, was created to help librarians construct a plan for these types of emergencies. The American Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, and the National Education Association have compiled resources to assist in developing a library disaster plan. Having a plan in place that can be put into action through the safety policy will allow the media center to be well prepared in case of an emergency. Including all of these elements in the safety policy will make certain that you have created a safe and secure learning environment. A major issue surrounding the security and safety of the school media center is the lack of funding available for school districts in todays economy. The securities needed to keep staff and students safe from the many dangers in the 21st century library

has a hefty price tag.

References American Association of School Librarians. (2009). Empowering learners:guidelines for school library media programs. American Library Association.

G r e g o r y, G . M . ( 2 0 0 8 ) . C o v e r n o t e s . H o w s a f e a r e w e ? , 4 6 . Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Library Leadership and Management Association, Safety & Security of Library Buildings Committee. (2010). Library security guidelines document Retrieved from h t t p : / / w w w. a l a . o r g / a l a / m g r p s / d i v s / l l a m a / p u b l i c a t i o n s / L i b r arySecurityGuide.pdf

R i g g s , F. ( 2 0 0 5 ) . L i b r a r y m e d i a c o n n e c t i o n . M e d i a m a n n e r s matter!, 34. DOI: EBSCOhost

Robertson, G. (2004). Risk, rules and enforcement: enhancing c h i l d s a f e t y i n t h e l i b r a r y. ( 3 ) , 1 0 9 - 1 1 1 . D O I : E B S C O h o s t

Security issues in your library. (2000). Media & Methods, 36(4), 14. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.