A library branch without staff. Kingston plans to try it out despite safety concerns
The union representing workers at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library is raising safety concerns and asking to pause a pilot project that will see one library branch open without staff on duty.
The project planned for the Pittsburgh branch of the public library would add 22 more opening hours per week, on top of the 38 hours where there is staff.
Visitors would enter the branch by scanning their library card and entering a pin number at a keypad before the door opens, said Laura Carter, the region's chief librarian.
Anyone who wants access when staff aren't present will have to register in-person and agree to conditions, which include that they won't let anyone else in, according to Carter, who said video surveillance will also be in place.
The union representing local library staff, CUPE Local 2202, wants the project to stop because of a recent spike in incidents at downtown library locations while staff is present, said union president Jillann Rothwell.
She cited incidents including a "physical assault" of a staff member and a rise in verbal abuse and threats over the winter.
"We worry that some groups of people may not feel safe without a staff member present, such as women and those who experience marginalization and discrimination," said Rothwell.
No plans to pause
Carter said the project will move ahead, adding a lot of public dollars and time have gone into it.
"We believe we've done everything we can to mitigate some of those risks," she said of the union's concerns.
Carter said library users have been asking for more opening hours and this is a way to do it while keeping library costs low. She noted other Ontario municipalities like Hamilton and Essex County have seen successful projects with staffless hours.
Some library users, such as Lindy Mechefske, can't foresee a "library without a librarian."
The longtime library patron and writer said she'd be nervous to visit a branch without any staff members present, adding she relies on both for safety and as "fonts of knowledge."
That source of human connection, as well as knowledge, is also a key argument by the union, which also believes limiting access during staffless hours to those who register goes against the "ethos" of libraries as a space that's accessible to all.
Carter argued offering extra hours will provide more chances to use the branch as a public space, including on Sundays, which would not have been possible before.
She said any patrons who need help when no staff is present can call staff at another branch.
The library is still waiting on some of the technology needed to launch the project, but Carter said she expects the staffless hours will begin in the fall.
