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Politics & Government

Library Board Debates Lobby Closing Time

The Library Board also heard an Internet safety presentation from Police Det. Ron LaGosh, who urged people not to put their date of birth on sites such as Facebook.

Some Brookfield Library Board members are asking if the library lobby can remain open longer to better protect children waiting to be picked up.

The current procedure is to announce the library's closure time at 15, 10 and 5 minutes prior to closure, after which the library and lobby doors lock. But some board members said at Wednesday's Library Board meeting that they were concerned about minors waiting to be picked up past closing time and being left outside in the elements unattended.

After entering the building's main exterior doors, there is a lobby that leads to interior doors that access the library. Library hours during the school year are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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“A 15 minute lobby cushion would reap us great benefits,” said Kay Benning, a board member and parent who admitted to having been a few minutes late to pick up her child.

Director of Library Services Edelle Schaefer said changing the off-hours access procedure interferes with staff scheduling, especially since “union staff overtime is not funded.”

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Board member Beth Moberg-Wolff suggested adjusting the hours of staff so that someone stays 15 minutes later to lock the lobby doors at that time.

Schafer agreed to talk to library staff about protocol on a case-to-case basis, but stated the “need to be flexible for the occasional incident,” instead of adapting a completely new procedure.

In other Library Board business:

  • Brookfield Police Det. Ron LaGosh gave a presentation on Internet safety.

The majority of computer crime cases are financial-related, said LaGosh, who has worked with computer crimes for the past 12 years and frequently gives talks to parents and students on Internet safety.

According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, he said, the top three types of online crimes referred to law enforcement in 2010 were:

  • Non-delivery Payment/Merchandise (21.1 percent)
  • Identity Theft (16.6 percent)
  • Auction Fraud (10.1 percent)

LaGosh said people should never put a date of birth on a site such as Facebook, because some loan and credit card companies “only require a date of birth and name with middle initial [to sign up],” making it effortless for steal someone’s identity.

He also showed a map of registered sex offenders in the Brookfield area and discussed recent cases and arrests in the community of people using webcams and the Internet to commit assaults.

“People can hide behind their computers and it happens in our own community,” LaGosh said.

  • New furnishings have been added to the Brookfield library's periodicals area and the Western Acres Garden Club will be working with library staff to provide seasonal displays of floral arrangements. “We have heard many favorable comments from the public, especially those laptop users who like the tablet arms on some of the lounge chairs,” Shafer said.
  • The library will be posting appropriate signage in accordance with the ordinance passed by the Brookfield Common Council Nov. 1 prohibiting the carrying of firearms in buildings owned, occupied, or controlled by the city, and at special events on city property. 
  • Friends of the Library President Dave DiBraccio said they are working to get more authors to visit and speak at the library. The Friends will host the December book sale from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 3 in the community room.
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