For staff interactions & behavior re-direct ideas, LM hosted a webinar last Fall on just this topic: * Managing Your Library's Afterschool Crowd<https://youtu.be/Qy72cfvCutw> (Recorded 9/26/25) * Slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PeCc5GjP26LweRJqB7Ar0Ix-0q50W-5C/view?usp=s... Feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Best, Cathy Lancaster Youth Services Coordinator Library of Michigan 702 W. Kalamazoo St. Lansing, MI 48915 My Pronouns: She/Her/Hers - See www.mypronouns.org<http://www.mypronouns.org/> to learn more. LancasterC5@michigan.gov<mailto:LancasterC5@michigan.gov> | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan<http://www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan> Follow us: Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/libraryofmichigan/> | Twitter<https://twitter.com/libraryofmich> | Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/libraryofmichigan/> Join the MiYouth<https://liblists.org/postorius/lists/miyouth.liblists.org/> Listserv, created for Michigan public library staff to share and discuss children and teen programming and services. [Michigan Seal of Biliteracy] Acknowledge the incredible strength of students’ multilingual abilities. Seek the Michigan Seal of Biliteracy<https://www.michigan.gov/mde/services/flexible-learning/michigan-seal-of-biliteracy> for graduating seniors. [Michigan.gov/Vote logo Description automatically generated]<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>. ________________________________ From: Kristina Knezic via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2026 4:22 PM To: Michlib-l <Michlib-l@liblists.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] Seeking Advice CAUTION: This is an External email. Please report suspicious emails via the "Report to Abuse" button in Outlook Hello All, This school year, our afterschool patrons have been much more disruptive than in years past. As the end of the school year approaches, the disruptive behavior seems to be increasing. My staff and I do work to enforce our behavior policy and follow the disciplinary steps, but it continues to be a struggle. Are there any other libraries out there (we are a Class III library) that employ a security guard during targeted times to help monitor patron behavior and enforce library policies? If so, do you use a security company, or have you hired someone such as a retired police officer? Has it helped? For libraries that experience issues during after school hours but do not employ a security guard, what solutions have you found to prevent or reduce disruptive behavior? We do try to be welcoming rather than confrontational, and we offer programming during afterschool hours, but we are still facing challenges. Thank you for your suggestions, [cid:df5f5ba6-9a11-48bc-9374-d7eb1ebef82a]
