Safety

This section addresses both physical and psychological safety (i.e., real security from harm and perception of security) as aspects of library physical spaces.

Keywords: anxiety, belonging, cultural responsiveness, mental health, physical safety, psychological safety

Checklists, Guidelines, & Other Resource Lists

American Library Association. Resource Guide for Library Safety and Preparedness. 

Albrecht, S. & Albrecht, D. (2015). Library security survey checklist. Library security: Better communication, safer facilities, Appendix A, 141-146. American Library Association. (WorldCat; also in Ebook Central)

Veldhuisen, K. (2024). Psychological safety checklist (Google Doc).

Safety, security, and public health. Chapter 13 of Sannwald, W. W. (2024). Checklist of library building design considerations (7th edition.). ALA Editions. (WorldCat)

Comment: General safety considerations. Other checklists in the book include safety considerations for specific topics, e.g., parking lots.

Queen’s University.  Safety inspection checklist for libraries.

Readings & Videos

Albrecht, S. (2024). The safe library. YouTube series. Retrieved January 7, 2025.

Keyword: physical safety

Comment: Short videos with Dr. Steve Albrecht, each focusing on a different aspect of library safety. Includes videos on line of sight security; parking lots; lockers; panic alarms; and “Capable Guardians”

Buck, V. M., & Houzé, A. (2014). Healing library anxiety: How comparing libraries to hospitals can improve service to multicultural populations. Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2014 – Lyon – Libraries, Citizens, Societies: Confluence for Knowledge in Session 221 – Library Services to Multicultural Populations. In: IFLA WLIC 2014, 16-22 August 2014, Lyon, France.

Keywords: cultural responsiveness, psychological safety, mental health, anxiety

Abstract: In order to find new approaches to better serve multicultural populations in libraries, this paper analyzes studies about services and environments in the healthcare industry for how they serve multicultural populations and, specifically, how they reduce stress for health-seeking users. Healthcare research shows that stress can impede healing. Likewise, information behavior research shows that library anxiety can significantly impede information-seeking behavior.
Multicultural users have a high risk of experiencing library anxiety because of the multiple causes of stress that they encounter. Healthcare research shows that creating environments that reduce stress and enhance well-being for patients improves the healing process. Likewise, libraries who create environments that reduce stress and enhance well-being can provide for better and more successful information-seeking experiences for multicultural users.
The three recommendations of this paper to library planners are to 1) train staff and plan physical space according to the “attitude-centered” approach of cultural competencies (a.k.a. cultural responsiveness); 2) train staff and plan physical space to improve the perception of multicultural users’ sense of personal control, and 3) enhance physical surroundings so that they aesthetically please, create safety, and stimulate the brain.

Comment: Interesting. Giving users a sense of control (including good signage) lowers anxiety. Aesthetics are important to lower stress and to stimulate creativity.  

Ceccato, V., Ariel, B., Ercin, E., Sampaio, A., Hazanov, J., & Elfström, S. (2024). Changing environments to promote safety in libraries. European Journal of Criminology, 21(4), 491–512. DOI: 10.1177/14773708231213157

Keyword: physical safety

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to investigate how changes in the environment of a library affect the safety conditions of both visitors and staff. Using principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, crime and incidents of public disturbance from 2017 to 2020 from libraries in Stockholm, Sweden, are analyzed and later mapped using 3D models in CAD. These findings are inspected via fieldwork visits and then compared with answers from a safety survey with library visitors (N = 112) and interviews with library personnel (N = 6). Analysis of variance shows that crime and incidents of public disturbance decrease after these interventions, with clear impacts on their geography. A third of visitors indicate that there have been fewer problems after changes in the library are introduced while staff suggests that training prepares them to manage conflict situations more efficiently. The study concludes with a critical assessment of the methodology and makes suggestions to improve safety conditions in libraries.

Comment: An urban library was redesigned to have a new entrance where staff could welcome and see visitors.  Furniture was changed, including book stacks of varying heights to create natural sightlines. Lighting was improved. Since changes were made crimes and incidents of public disturbances  decreased over 88%.

Ceccato, V., Ercin, E., Sampaio, A., Hazanov, J., & Elfström, S. (2024). Crime at micro-places in public libraries. Security Journal, 37(3), 686–711. DOI: 10.1057/s41284-023-00390-5

Keyword: physical safety

Abstract: Public libraries are multifunctional places where visitors come to borrow books, use computers and socialise—all these activities impose a diverse set of safety demands on those responsible for these facilities. Drawing from environmental criminology and CPTED principles, this study proposes and tests a conceptual model to investigate the spatiotemporal nature of crime and other safety-related incidents in public libraries. Incidents recorded by personnel from 2017 to 2020 from two public libraries in Stockholm, Sweden are mapped using a three-dimensional model in CAD and compared with notes from fieldwork inspections and interviews with library personnel. Findings show that staff feel safe in the library, but mention unsafe situations that they avoid by taking precautionary measures. In addition, public disturbances, aggression, followed by crimes against property and vandalism vary both temporally and across different types of library environments. The design and layout of public libraries play a role in the libraries’ safety conditions (e.g. territoriality, surveillance opportunities), but some places are more challenging than others because of the activities they attract (e.g. entrances). The study concludes by critically assessing the proposed methodology and making suggestions to improve safety in public libraries and advance the role of place managers in multifunctional places.

Comment: The authors classified different types of spaces, e.g., book stacks, social areas, and the types of crimes/disturbances most common in each.  They also studied the time at which these events occurred.

Chodock, T. (2025). The academic library as a caring assemblage (PDF). In Democratizing Knowledge+ Access+ Opportunities: The Proceedings of the ACRL 2025 Conference (pp. 343-354). Association of College and Research Libraries.

Keywords: psychological safety, belonging, cultural responsiveness

Excerpt: … photo-elicitation interviews with twenty-four students at two majority-minority Hispanic and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (HSI, AANAPISI) in the American Southwest are the main dataset for this study.5 From this content, this paper reports on an analysis of responses to “places you feel cared about,” one of the seven photography and interview prompts.
… this paper demonstrates how assemblage theory along with concepts related to an ethic of care can provide a framework to better understand how humans and nonhumans interact in academic libraries. At least since the late nineteenth century, academic libraries have had qualities consistent with caring assemblages. Interacting with books, physical and electronic catalogs and databases, computers and other technologies, library staff have been assisting patrons in accessing materials, conducting research, and utilizing suitable places to read and study. Conceptualizing these relationships as a caring assemblage provides academic libraries with another way to articulate relevance, particularly that of physical library spaces, in our rapidly changing higher education landscape.

Henrich, K. J., & Stoddart, R. A. (2016). Library safety through design: Using a checklist approach at the University of Idaho. Journal of Library Administration, 56(7), 777–789. DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2015.1124705

Keyword: physical safety

Abstract: Libraries are responsible for the safety, security, and welfare of their patrons, employees, collections, buildings, and property. Well-designed library spaces enhance the overall security and safety of the library building and its users. One potential tool to assist in assessing library spaces and building design is the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) methodology. This article presents a case study in which a CPTED checklist was used to examine safety and security design features in an academic library environment. In conjunction with other safety measures, including dedicated safety committees, expert-led safety trainings, and ongoing conversations about security in the library, the CPTED checklist can help inform library conversations about building security and contribute to a safer, more secure atmosphere in which students can thrive.

Comment: A tool for assessing the safety of library spaces (written with the context gun violence on campuses) 

Poljak, L., Webster, B. M., & Kiner, R. (2023). Exploring belonging through photovoice: Examining the impact of space design on diverse student populations in an academic library. Performance Measurement and Metrics, 24(3/4), 195–210. DOI: 10.1108/PMM-08-2023-0023

Keywords: cultural responsiveness, belonging, physical safety, psychological safety

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to uncover characteristics of physical spaces that evoke feelings of welcome and belonging in a diverse student population in an academic library. Design/methodology/approach – The photovoice method was used to allow research participants an active role in shaping research questions and collecting and analyzing data. Findings – The research reveals that space design significantly influences students’ feelings of physical safety, emotional well-being and safety and ownership (or sense of belonging) in academic library spaces, thereby emphasizing the importance of considering space design in promoting student well-being and inclusiveness. Originality/value – This research used photovoice methodology to engage underrepresented student communities in providing input into the design of library spaces.

Comment: Students from underrepresented communities photographed library areas that made them feel physically or emotionally safe and described why 

Schultz, T., Anderson, K., Smith, M. M., Mesfin, T., Damonte, H., Masegian, C., & Anderson, K. (2023). First generation students’ experiences and perceptions of an academic library’s physical spaces. Weave: Journal of Library User Experience, 6(1).

Keywords: cultural responsiveness, physical safety, psychological safety

Abstract: There remains a lack of literature looking at how first-generation students experience and feel about academic library spaces. We sought to help fill this gap by conducting a mixed-methods research study at a large university. We surveyed current first-generation students about their experiences with the institution’s physical libraries and if they felt safe and culturally welcomed. We then explored the results through semi-structured interviews to further develop themes. We found that while many first-generation students reported feeling safe in most of the library spaces, many still reported they did not always feel safe, although how they defined “safe” differed. Also, students expressed differing preferences for what they wanted from the physical spaces, emphasizing the need for libraries to cater to diverse study habits. Data show students used the library spaces to get in the right frame of mind for studying; however, uncertainty remains about where they are allowed.

Comment: Researchers explored self-identified first-generation students’ feeling of safety and belonging, using surveys and interviews.

 Yang, Z., Ling, W., Cheng, F., Deng, X., Wei, X., Wang, H., Song, J., & Wei, S. (2026). Multi-Spatial-Parametric evacuation modeling for data mining of route selection in University Libraries: An immersive VR-based approach. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 69, Article 103922. DOI: 10.1016/j.aei.2025.103922

Keyword: physical safety

Abstract: The evacuation performance of university libraries directly impacts the safety of students’ lives during emergencies. Accurate evacuation models can provide evacuation design with reliable evidence for decision-making.  While the Original Evacuation Model (OEM) relies solely on distance-based route selection, they ignore critical spatial parameters that influence human behavior. In this study, therefore, a Refined Evacuation Model (REM) with multi-spatial-parameter-based route selection logic has been developed through immersive virtual reality experiments, focusing on circulation spaces comprising corridors and open spaces (wider than corridors) in university libraries. The physiological data were collected to explain the route selection process, and the results indicated that the left–right positioning and width of open spaces significantly influence path selection in cases with equal distance. The REM models these behavioral patterns as rule-based logic, correcting the OEM evacuation time by up to 46.43%. Case studies show that widening right-side open spaces or narrowing left-side ones could reduce evacuation time. This strategic layout can shorten the evacuation time by up to 31.71%. This study bridges behavioral knowledge with computational modeling and provides a framework for knowledge-intensive evacuation design. It can be used as a practical tool for architects and safety planners to optimize library layout design, based on evidence-driven spatial parameter rules.

Comment: The authors studied user evacuation behavior in relation to the physical environment using virtual reality; the right physical layout can shorten evacuation time substantially.

Usability Techniques

Usability Techniques to Consider for Safety:

  • Cognitive mapping. Cognitive mapping entails “asking a library user to draw their experience of a library service or, more broadly, of learning.”
  • Interviews. Andy Priestner suggests that attitudinal approaches to UX such as surveys and interviews should be included along with behavioral or observational approaches to UX. In this brief write-up, he suggests simple ways to be effective in an interview, stating, “The interview is not about you, it’s about your subject, but you can only fulfill this aim if you let the user speak and become comfortable with your own silence.”
  • Love / Break-up letters. “The main reason these letters work so well is that they ask the writer to anthropomorphise library services, allowing them (and by extension, us) to access the sort of emotional responses about libraries that would otherwise only be reserved for people. Also, as with cognitive mapping, the creative nature of the task involves use of a different part of their brain.”
  • Photo studies. Library users photograph library areas that make them feel a certain way (prescribed by a prompt) and explain why.
  • User-led library tours / Touchstone tours. “With a touchstone tour…, you are essentially flipping a traditional library tour on its head. Rather than you giving the tour, you ask the user to show you around instead.”
    • Priestner, A. (2019, April-May). Touchstone tours (PDF). Information Professional, 45.

Partner Groups

Partner Groups to Consider for Safety:

  • Campus Safety and security
  • Facilities
  • Parking
  • Violence-prevention and response programs (e.g., Safecampus at UW)
  • Student-led organizations
  • Campus advocacy groups
  • Office of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging (exact names vary)