SAUGUS — While the library’s doors will be locked until 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, inside the building, staff will be trained on crucial safety and security procedures.
Librarians and other employees have already completed active-shooter training, practiced sheltering in place, and brushed up on fire drills, said Library Director Alan Thibeault. Next week, they’ll move on to learning CPR training, and in the coming months, how to use defibrillators. Each segment is conducted by personnel from the Saugus Fire and Police departments.
“We did have an active shooter training, which is something that a lot of libraries are doing right now,” said Thibeault. “For the last two to three years, it has gotten an increased emphasis in schools and libraries. The reasons are obvious, but there are different thoughts on how to react.”
While sheltering in place works well in a school setting, it’s less effective in an open-layout library, said Thibeault. His staff learned that the most important thing would be to get away from the gunman and out of the building. If unable to get away from a gunman, they were taught to throw nearby items at the offender.
“I see us talking about this at least once a year,” said Thibeault. “It generated a lot of informal discussions between staff. You can’t always predict what’s going to happen. It’s time for people to talk about it.”
Thibeault said he believes the most important thing a librarian can do is look at and acknowledge every person who walks through the front door. They were trained to immediately call 911 if someone walks in who makes them feel uncomfortable, but to start by greeting patrons to let them know that you are aware they are there.
The library does benefit from nearby Police and Fire stations that, in the past, have arrived on scene when needed in about a minute, said Thibeault. But since every minute counts, staff opted to learn to perform CPR and other life-saving techniques to better protect patrons.
“We’re a public building and medical emergencies do happen,” he said. “The CPR training is something we decided we wanted to do. I think it would be irresponsible of us not to try to do that.”
The Library Board of Trustees listed quarterly training for staff on relevant topics as one of its goals and objectives for Thibeault when he was hired. The first of such events took place a week after his time in Saugus started.
The initial workshops have focused on safety and security, but staff will also learn about more library-centric topics including customer service and software-specific training.
The library will open at 1 p.m. on April 3 and April 11 for the CPR training.
