A rural public library in southwestern Ontario needed to hire an additional full-time security guard for one of its 14 branches due to an increase in security incidents in recent years.

The Oxford County Library hired security guards for its Tillsonburg branch last summer after a series of incidents in and around the library, including suspected drug use, harassment of staff in the reception area, theft and emotional outbursts by patrons.

Although having a security guard on staff helped respond to incidents when they occurred, security costs totaled more than $83,800, according to Lisa Marie Williams, the library’s executive director. That’s a two percent increase over the library’s $6.1 million budget for 2024.

“This is a budget pressure we did not anticipate. In a rural system, our budgets are already tight compared to urban areas, so if we cannot contribute to that budget, it will be at the expense of other services,” she said.

“While the number of incidents is not necessarily decreasing, it is also not reaching the point where we may need police intervention because incidents can be dealt with more quickly.”

A CBC News investigation found last week that there has been a dramatic increase in security incidents at public libraries in Canada’s major cities and smaller communities.

It’s a trend that nearby city centers like the London Public Library have been struggling with for years, even before the Covid pandemic, said CEO Michael Ciccone.

“When there are crises like homelessness, mental health issues and opioid addiction, like we’re seeing right now, those things trickle down into libraries,” he said. “Our staff really have to deal with a lot of things and they’re not necessarily trained to deal with them.”

Ciccone said his staff and security guards often have to go into the restrooms and ask people engaging in illegal activity to leave, which exposes them to racist slurs and other profanities from angry patrons. Many regularly call out biohazard teams to clean up and police to combat aggressive customers and vandalism, he said.

Actions libraries are taking

The London Library has increased security at the Central Branch downtown – its largest location, which accounts for more than 55 percent of all incidents – and hired a security guard at the Crouch location on Hamilton Road, Ciccone said. The library began tracking security incidents in 2021, which so far in 2024 show a decrease compared to previous years.

The library also has a full-time transitional care staff member employed through the Canadian Mental Health Association and has received additional funding to continue the program through 2027.

Staff receive up-to-date training on emergency and crisis prevention. These measures are important but also costly, says Ciccone. He estimates they consume about $1 million of the library’s budget, of which about $600,000 is for security.

“We have taken a lot of measures to prevent incidents, and I don’t know what else we can do without additional resources beyond what we are already doing,” Ciccone said.

“This is not a library problem, this is a social and political problem. This is not something libraries can solve in a jiffy. We are doing everything we can within our capabilities and budgets, but we need the help of the provincial and federal governments.”

Williams noted that $5.2 million of the library’s budget is funded by taxes in seven of the eight Oxford County communities. She said other branches do not yet have a need for additional security measures, but her team is constantly monitoring them to ensure a safe environment for staff and visitors.

Their staff also receives regular training on how to de-escalate angry guests and is provided with counselor support when needed. Depending on the incident, they can issue temporary bans ranging from one day to a year, Williams said.

Both Williams and Ciccone emphasize that while security incidents represent only a small fraction of the thousands of visitors who visit libraries each year, it is still a very safe and inclusive environment for all.