MORGANTOWN — Morgantown Public Library System Executive Director Sarah Palfrey said Tuesday that the system’s main branch, located on Spruce Street, very much considers itself a part of the fabric of downtown Morgantown.
As such, she continued, it’s navigating issues that go well beyond books and programming.
Palfrey’s comments came as part of her annual report to Morgantown City Council and about two months after members of the public and council voiced safety concerns due to the number of people regularly loitering in and around the building, which is located between Milan Puskar Health Right and Morgantown City Hall.
“We have a zero tolerance policy for any illegal activity in the library or on the premises,” Palfrey said. “It’s not illegal to be in front of the library. It’s not illegal to hang out on the sidewalk … It’s also not illegal to just be in the library all day. We have a lot of people who spend hours using the space.”
Palfrey explained staff will trespass people from the building and/or call the police if warnings are not heeded or threats are made. While individuals may be banned for varying lengths of time, bans are rarely, if ever, permanent.
“We always strive to use an empathy-driven approach, to operate from kindness as much as we can, but there’s a balance,” she said. “I want to protect my staff. I want them to come back to work the next day. We also want people to feel welcome in the library. We’re not always going to get it right, and for a long time I think we’ve not been very firm with our boundaries about what’s ok and what’s not ok.”
Trying to improve the situation without simply restricting access to the building is “pretty much an impossible line to walk,” Palfrey concluded.
“It’s not easy. We know our patrons. All of them. We celebrate their successes. We work through their challenges. We make space for lots of other organizations to meet with people,” Palfrey said. “It’s a safe space for a lot of people and I want that to continue … We’re working through it as best we can; doing the best we can. It’s not easy.”
In other news, the city of Morgantown announced Tuesday that it has hired a new director of communications.
Drew Bailey will take over the position on Monday.
The hire follows the September departure of Andrew Stacy, who left for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in September after five years with the city.
According to the city’s press release, Bailey holds a master’s degree in communication from Marquette University and previously worked as the senior brand marketing strategist for Advent.
