Just had our first First Amendment Audit. It went very well, actually.
I spotted them before they came in so we could gather ourselves for a minute - make sure no patron names were on screens, and the reserve shelf had no names showing, etc.
Two people (man and woman) came in with cameras. I welcomed them from the circ desk as I would anyone else (maybe a little more enthusiastically). The man asked if we had the U.S. Constitution for Dummies and we talked about that a little.
I offered to show them around, but they just wanted to walk around and film. We only had one patron in here at the time, so when the man started that way, I just told him that he was welcome to film anywhere in the public areas as long as he didn't interfere with other patrons' enjoyment of the library.
We were respectful and, in turn, they were respectful, so it went just fine. They were here for about 15 minutes. I won't lie - it felt like longer.
I know that this man, FRICN MEDIA, has lots of 1st Amendment Audit videos on YouTube, many of which turned confrontational. We were welcoming, forthcoming, and really boring. Score!
Like Kate Andrade said, "It's not if, it's when". We might as well be prepared.
Have a great day!
Perri
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Perri Saunders, DirectorWhite Pigeon Township Library
102 N. Kalamazoo St., P.O. Box 399
White Pigeon, MI 49099
269-483-7409
Brighten the corner where you are.