Safe by Design
A Library Leader’s Guide to Safety and Security
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Course Details August 27, 2026 | 12:00 - 4:00 pm ET
 Half-Day Online Course
 4 Credit Hours
 Recommended for public library leaders.
 $261 (Save with early bird and group rates!)
Library safety is not one policy decision. It is an ongoing set of tradeoffs between access, staff well-being, and real-world situations that do not come with clean answers. This course helps leaders make those decisions more intentionally.
DOES LIBRARY SAFETY FEEL COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING AND NOT AT ALL WHY YOU WENT TO LIBRARY SCHOOL?
You’ll leave with a plan for turning safety from something reactive and overwhelming into something intentional, consistent, and workable for your staff and your space. Early bird rate is $215 through July 27, 2026. Standard rate is $261 through August 27, 2026. Need flexibility? If you can’t attend live, you’ll get access to the recording for 6 months.
Invoice or PO options: Orders of $600 or greater can choose invoice at checkout. For orders under $600, please do not check out online. Submit this form, and we will process your order manually. Need approval? Email this course to your supervisor. TRAINING A TEAM?If your leadership team is navigating safety decisions, policy updates, or staff concerns, this course gives you a shared framework to make those conversations more consistent and actionable. Multi-seat discounts are automatically calculated in the cart. Return to Full Course Catalog AFTER COMPLETING THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:
You will leave with a clearer framework for making your library safer for everyone without compromising the values that brought you to this work. If you're someone who:
This course was built for you.
This course is especially relevant for:
If you're the one expected to figure this out and support your staff at the same time, you’ll find this useful.
Session 1 | 12:00 - 12:30 pm ETEmpathy and Safety: The Role of Relationships How can relationships impact and enhance safety? What are practical ways you can lead your staff through building relationships with patrons? This session will discuss how a commitment to relationships can help create a culture of safety and wellness in your library. Session 2 | 12:30 - 1:15 pm ET Data-Driven Safety: Ensuring Your Security Works How can your library create environments where both staff and patrons feel safe and supported? What does a truly safe library look like, and how can data help guide your decisions around policy and safety practices? This session will discuss how to move beyond reactive security measures and build proactive, data-informed, and people-centered safety frameworks that address the full spectrum of wellbeing. Leave this session with practical tools for assessing your library's safety culture and developing policies that work for your specific library context. Break | 1:15 - 1:30 pm ET Session 3 | 1:30 - 2:15 pm ET Ready for Anything: Emergency Preparedness and Incident Response What does effective emergency preparedness look like across different library environments, and how can incident response protocols be designed to protect both staff and patrons? This session will discuss how to identify gaps in your emergency planning and how to build and test response frameworks that are clear and people-centered. Leave this session with actionable tools for updating your emergency plans, conducting meaningful drills, and fostering a culture of preparedness that keeps your entire community safer. Session 4 | 2:15 - 2:45 pm ET How to Talk About Hard Things: Crisis Communication and Management How can leaders best communicate to staff and others about a crisis situation, and what should leaders keep in mind to support staff before, during, and after an incident? How should leaders engage with the media and your community during and after an incident? This session will discuss best practices for internal and external crisis communications. Leave with a better understanding of how to approach sensitive conversations, all while building and maintaining trust and adapting your messaging based on your audience. Break | 2:45 - 3:00 pm ET Session 5 | 3:00 - 3:45 pm ET Safe by Design: Creating Physical Layouts that Support Safety How does the physical design of your library shape the safety and wellbeing of the people who use and work in it? What role do layout, sight lines, lighting, and spatial organization play in preventing incidents, and how can accessibility considerations be woven into safety planning from the ground up rather than added as an afterthought? This final session will discuss how to evaluate your library's physical environment through both a safety and a disability lens, identifying opportunities to design spaces that are welcoming, navigable, and secure for patrons and staff of all abilities. Leave this session with practical frameworks for auditing and reimagining your current space and planning for changes as needed. Group Wrap Up | 3:45 - 4:00 pm ET What comes next for safety and security in your library? What else do you have questions about or need to know moving forward? We will use this time to make space for a group reflection and brainstorm about the future of safety in libraries. Ensuring quality service and access in an unprecedented environment of security threats has become one of the greatest challenges library leaders have faced. How can libraries provide physically and emotionally safer and more secure environments for staff and patrons while protecting their privacy and maintaining open, accessible, and welcoming spaces? This half-day intensive course, directed toward library leaders, directors, safety and facilities heads, and other stakeholders in library safety, will convene leaders to discuss best practices to build and maintain a culture of safety. We’ll explore and workshop effective approaches and real-life examples, as well as address legal responsibilities, policies, staff support, and emergency preparedness, all in an effort to create safer, more resilient libraries.
SESSIONS AND PRICINGEarly bird pricing ends one month before the session deadline. Course materials unlock on the session deadline date.
GROUP OPTIONSTraining a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay : Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this course and save. Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later. Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals. Request Discounted Group Pricing Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com. COURSE FORMATThis will be a four-hour live session and will include: Live sessions: Guest speaker presentations by leaders in their field. All sessions are recorded for on-demand access for six months after the course ends. Facilitated discussions: Audience participation in Q&A and discussion with guest speakers. Asynchronous workshop: On-demand project-based modules connecting what you’re learning to your professional practice. Includes peer-to-peer sharing via discussion forums. Online classroom: The virtual learning platform holds all course content and remains accessible for six months after the course ends. Note: The asynchronous work is designed to be completed over three weeks, but you will have six months of access to work at your own pace.
EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENTIf you attend or watch recordings of all live sessions and complete the online workshop, you will spend approximately 4 hours on this course. You will earn 4 hours of professional development credit and a Library Journal certificate of completion.
ON-DEMAND ACCESSAll live guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand for six months following the initial broadcast as part of your purchase.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETIONComplete all course requirements to earn 4 professional development credit hours and a Library Journal certificate of completion. Certificates are emailed upon completion.
ACCESSIBILITYAll video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.
SUPPORTFor technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com. |
