Minutes of September 20, 2005 meeting

Present:

Susan Brower, Asuncion DeChavez, Ramon Negron, Fred Onorato, Roselyn Riley(recorsder), Brian Stubbs, Michele Tokar, Ann Watkins, Penny Weniger, Kelly Worth

Excused:

Jazmine Faherty, Barry Lipinski

Guests:

Judy Gardner, Roger Smith

Agenda

• Announcements/Updates
• Welcome and introductions to Ann Watkins (representing Newark - Dana)
• Revised meeting schedule and roster
• Incident Reports Review
• Current Project Update
  1. Revision of Purpose Statement
  2. What's in a name?
• Discussion Topic
  1. New Training Project Proposal: Suspicious Packages
  2. Covered Drinks Proposal
• Information Sharing
  1. Unit Security & Maintenance Updates

Announcements/Updates

• The group welcomed new member Ann Watkins from Dana Library via video conferencing.
  • Thanks go to Rich Sandler, Media Services, for his help in connecting and providing a brief training session prior to the meetings start.
• On 8/18, Francoise Puniello wrote a letter to the Captain of the RU fire department about creating a policy that requires fire personnel to alert library staff about when it is safe for staff and patrons to re-enter a building after an alarm.
• Penny encouraged the group to read the new Library Services for Persons with Disabilities Brochure that was sent to all units and become familiar with RUL policies of services provided by library staff to our disabled patrons. If any library does not have any of these brochures, please contact Lucye Millerand, RUL Administration.
• Michele and Brian volunteered to attend the "Intro to computer security workshop" on 10/18 and then share what they learned during the November meeting.

Revised Meeting Schedule and Roster

The revised group rosters and the revised meeting schedules were distributed.

Incident Reports Review

• Ann shared the procedures that Dana uses to report incidents at the library. Penny suggested that NBL incident report form could be implemented system wide and will forward a proposal to Judy and Roger for possible discussion with Dana library.
• Annex - water leak that created a puddle presumably from the roof. None of the collection was affected.
• Math - had a small leak.
• LSM - had a leak in the basement by the fire panel.
• Alex - in the graduate reading room, a patron took a bag that was similar to his own by accident. Also, books were returned in the book drop that were infested with bedbugs.
• Related issue - A student staff member thought he had been bitten by one of the bedbugs from the infested books. He went to Hurtado for treatment, and was told that only students could be treated at the facility. Penny inquired about their policies regarding the treatment of staff members. She will share what she learns when she receives a response.
• Kilmer - a patron fell asleep at a table, when she awoke her bag was missing.

Current Project Update

• The group shared comments on the draft of the proposed group purpose statement. Ramon suggested we add the word "policies" to the statement, so it would read "…recommend and implement policies and procedures…"
• The group discussed options for a new name. The group agreed to submit Security and Facilities Team as a first choice for suggested change. Second choice was Security and Facilities Working Group.
• Suspicious package training - group discussed the benefits of such training.
  • Ramon suggested including training from experts on the subject to give more information about what to do in these situations.
  • Roselyn thought there may not be enough information on the subject to mandate a training workshop. An e-mail training or a colorful flyer to educate staff may prove more effective.
  • Penny and Kelly well consult with the Health and Safety Committee about adding additional information to the emergency procedures manual.
  • Kelly shared her experience with handling a suspicious package/bag left in the Douglass library.
  • Marc Forrester recommended that units post signs that state: "If your bags are left unattended, it may be turned into the police". Roger recommended we look into standardizing signage in all the libraries about thefts and unattended items.
  • Ann told the group about "GOTCHA" cards that are placed on unattended items to educate patrons about theft.
• Covered Drinks Proposal - the group agreed to move forward with creating a proposal to allowed covered drinks into the libraries.

Information Sharing

Alexander:

• Typical beginning of the semester - bed bugs, lost items, bags left unattended.
• Students will begin patrolling the building for food and drink
• Construction on the HVAC system has resumed.

Douglass:

• Ramon - busy training new extended hours (Nite Owls) student workers and patrolling the building in the evenings
• Kelly shared the details of the digital security camera system at Douglass.

LSM:

• Problems with the building lights that are on a timer, as the library changed over to extended fall semester hours. The problem was quickly solved.
• Holly Muller is the new evening supervisor.
• There was a minor condensation leak on the first floor.
• Maintenance is being done on the fire alarm system.
• A quiet study area is being organized behind reference.
• The weeding project resumes.

Math:

• A minor leak in the first floor stacks, the cause was unknown.
• The counter on the front exit gate is broken. In the interim, staff are doing headcounts at various intervals throughout the day.
• The library has experienced many fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

Dana:

• Experiencing trouble with entrance and exit doors, particularly the handicapped access doors. Incidents occurred where patrons could enter the building during hours that the building was closed. Also staff experienced difficulty entering the building due to the door malfunction.
• Problems with patrons not leaving the building when asked.
• A staff member was "flashed" (indecent exposure) by a patron while opening the building. Charges were filed and the police removed the man from the premises.

ART: Normal beginning of the semester activity.

Roger: Roger reminded the group that police and security escorts to the parking lots are available to patrons and evening staff.

Penny: Penny and Rose Barbalace are meeting with Officer Pitt (community police officer at Douglass) to organize a safety training workshop for student staff.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, October 18th at Alexander Central Administration Conference Room from 3-4:30PM. (PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN MEETING PLACE)