Hi everyone,
First, thank you to everyone who replied to my most recent post about a completely different topic - it was super helpful! I'm back again with a conundrum that I'd like advice on.
Recently, at our library, we've had to contact the police and/or behavioral health crisis workers more and more. This includes staff having to confront patrons and de-escalate situations before it gets to that point. The problem is that there is a very antiquated unofficial policy in place that the staff member who is the highest in the 'position hierarchy' are the ones to make all decisions, including talking directly to patrons who cause the incidents (i.e, admin, the department heads, FT staff, PT staff, subs, etc).
The department heads, myself included, want to change this as it is not feasible due to the staffing issues and general size of our library (it is very big). When our library director and assistant director are not present, the department heads become de facto decision-makers. My main issue with this is that many of us have only been working here for a year or less, so making decisions, let alone serious ones involving emergency situations, feels intimidating and can make us freeze and panic.
What do you do at your library? Do you have any advice for us?