Riverside library trustees voted unanimously Monday to recommend changes to how patrons are barred from libraries for conduct violations, including who can issue exclusion notices and whether patrons can return while appealing a ban.
The proposal would authorize contract security guards and Riverside police officers to issue exclusion notices, revise warning requirements and specify that patrons remain excluded while awaiting an appeal hearing.
The board recommended that the City Council adopt the changes; its Nov. 9 vote did not enact the ordinance.
Library Director Erin Christmas said the revisions are intended to clarify enforcement after years of enforcement, including fighting or screaming at staff. Employees would continue giving warnings, she said.
“We will still give warnings,” Christmas said. “If you're sleeping in the library, we'll still give you multiple chances to not sleep in the library before we ask you to leave.”
In those situations, she said, staff generally ask the person to leave for the day.
The staff report says the proposal removes the requirement for a written warning before excluding a patron. Christmas said there had been uncertainty about whether warnings were required in every case, including serious incidents that warrant immediate exclusion.
The attached code language continues to reference verbal warnings and violations within 90 days of a warning. It also states that serious violations may result in exclusion without a verbal warning.
The changes would also authorize library employees to issue warnings. Christmas said police sometimes deliver the notices following serious incidents, and the city wants its code to cover that role.
An exclusion notice can bar a person from the library or suspend some or all library privileges. The attached code provides for exclusions lasting from one day to 12 months and requires notices to identify the restrictions, their duration and the right to appeal.
Patrons would have five calendar days after an exclusion notice is issued to file a written appeal with the library director. A hearing must be held within 15 calendar days of filing, although the director may grant a postponement for good cause at the request of the patron or library staff.
The proposal specifies that a patron remains excluded until the hearing unless the exclusion expires first. Library staff must show that the exclusion was justified by a rules violation, and the director's decision is final and must be provided in writing.
Christmas said appeals have become more frequent. She described reviewing video, speaking with staff and patrons, and deciding whether to uphold, shorten or revoke exclusions.
In one case, she said, she removed an exclusion after a patron provided a doctor's documentation showing a medical issue. In another, she reduced a 60-day exclusion to 30 days. She also described upholding an exclusion after review.
Modifications to conduct rules can also be made because of a disability or health condition by contacting staff or calling the library's administrative services manager.
Christmas said the review grew out of the city's efforts to address homelessness and keep its ordinances current.
No one spoke on the proposal.
