[OPLINLIST] Angry Patron Making Threats

[Mark Mabelitini]

Hi everyone,

While I think this list is great for asking questions, I think this is one
of those questions that we should not be asking of ourselves.  Indeed, we
are all knowledgeable about a great many topics and, of course, being
great librarians we know where to find answers.  Also, I know there is
probably someone out there who has experienced this and would be happy to
relay his or her experience. However, in this case I think it would be
best to ask local law enforcement what they would have us do.  They are
the professionals when it comes to this and we should go to the source.

I get concerned when we as librarians discuss topics among ourselves and
do not necessarily consult with those outside of the library community who
may be directly involved or impacted by the topic.

Just my 2 cents...

Mark

Mark Mabelitini, Director
Tipp City Public Library
11 E. Main St.
Tipp City, Ohio 45371
(937) 667-3826 (office)
(937) 667-7968 (fax)
www.tippcitylibrary.org

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not
expect to sit." --Nelson Henderson, philanthropist

> Hello all,
> Where is the line between keeping a patron's name confidential and
> reporting (perceived) threats that were made targeting local law
> enforcement and government employees? A patron recently came in asking
> for assistance in finding legal documents (records of tickets, law
> violations, etc.) His comments while a staff member was assisting him
> consisted of: "Those Nazis at the courthouse wanted to charge me $5.00
> a page for this! I need to clean house! I want to just pull the
> trigger, they're harrassing me, I'll have their jobs, etc. etc." We
> thought he was blowing off steam, but he was very loud and angry and
> going on and on and on about wanting to get a state law enforcement
> officer fired and the injustices he perceived were done to him by a
> previous sheriff and county judge. Our staff member was very
> professional and did not get lured into his banter. Is there a point
> where we should contact law enforcement? Where his threats credible or
> was he just blowing off steam? We would feel terrible "after the fact"
> if something had happened and we had this knowledge of his attitude
> and anger. We hope he isn't a powder keg getting ready to explode. On
> the other hand, if I did report these threats, and he was unstable, he
> could come after library employees. I'd be interested in hearing how
> you would handle this issue. I will also be addressing this issue with
> our library board, but wanted to get your feedback.
> Susan Pieper
> --
> Susan Hill Pieper
> Director/Editor
> Paulding County Carnegie Library
> Rural Library Services Newsletter
> 205 S. Main Street
> Paulding, OH 45879
> 419-399-2032 (voice) 419-399-2114 (fax)
> www.pauldingcountylibrary.org
> susanhillpieper at gmail.com
> ALA Councilor-At-Large (2007-2010)
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