Cell phones & alarm buttons: a draft proposal

Staff should feel free to edit, change or add comments!

Excerpt of notes from Library-Police meeting 2/14/7 (Present: Lt. Reid Holdorf, Sgt. Larry Potter, B. Kelly. T. Wieczorek. T. Dawson)

• Police discouraged the use of panic buttons but felt the monitor or building supervisor should have a cell phone to be quickly reachable by other library staff or police. They also suggested that cell phones could be deployed at service desks, allowing staff to discreetly call 911 using a preprogrammed button so that a patron would be unaware that the police were listening. These phones could also be useful for a staff member to carry when going alone into the stacks with a patron.

Cell phones

1. The maintenance staff person on duty currently carries a cell phone; we should consider an additional cell phone for the Business Manager
2. There should be an additional cell phone which should be carried by someone able to assist with problems or discipline. When monitors are on duty, this will usually be a monitor. At other times, the Building Supervisor or Librarian in Charge should have this phone and all staff should have ready access to the phone number.
3. There should be additional cell phones at each service desk.
   1. Circulation 3, Reference 2, Information Desk 1, Children's 1 (possibly 2)
   2. These cell phones should normally be stored in a drawer or under the desk out of sight.
   3. Any staff member working the desk should be able to unobtrusively reach for the phone and press a button which will dial 911. The phones will be selected for ease of performing this task. Staff members using this function can then continue talking and mention the Appleton Public Library so that the 911 operator knows the location of the call and can monitor the call while dispatching help.
   4. Staff members (especially at the Reference Desk where much of the service area is out of sight of the desk) accompanying patrons into the stacks are encouraged to take a phone along for contact with police or other staff if needed.
   5. Library cell phones are kept at the library and are not to be used for personal or social purposes, nor for any long distance call. They are only to be used as detailed.

Alarm buttons

1. Each service desk (Circulation, Reference Children's, Information) should have a push button that will ring a bell in staff work areas. Some service desks may require more than one button.
2. Staff working any service desk can use the button to summon other staff for assistance. Normally this will be to help with workload if patrons are waiting, but it could be to assist with a difficult situation.
3. All staff members hearing the assistance bell ring must respond or be sure that someone else is responding.

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