New St. Paul Public Library director is focused on safety

Jake

Spitzack

Staff Writer

Maureen Hartman, the new director of St. Paul Public Libraries (SPPL), has a lot on her plate in the coming months. Her first task is overseeing the creation of a comprehensive public services safety plan, called for in a 2024 needs assessment that was finalized in April. SPPL has hired SDK Communications and a team of safety experts to help create the new plan and to define the duties of a new role within the library system: safety specialist. The project is funded through $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Maureen Hartman

The creation of the plan is in response to various issues occurring in public spaces at libraries over the past year or more, including threats of violence, sexual harassment, and unsheltered people experiencing crisis. Some methods to increase safety that have already been discussed or implemented include altering the interior design of libraries to increase sightlines, providing additional safety training for staff, and updating security technology.

“We expect the plan to be finalized this fall,” said Hartman. “We anticipate hiring for the role of safety specialists this coming fall. We will hire 5-7 safety specialists to work in some of SPPL’s library locations across St. Paul. Some may travel to more than one location.”

For the past decade, SPPL has annually spent about $135,000 on safety and security. Most of that money has been directed toward the George Latimer Central, Rondo and Rice Street libraries. SPPL has used both contract security and offduty uniformed police officers throughout the years.

In 2019 SPPL hired library community ambassadors to replace police officers, and now the safety specialists replace contract security. Other safety investments include employing a social worker and operating a library staff safety committee.