Aggressive behaviour, vandalism, theft and alcohol and drug-related incidents at the Collingwood Public Library increased slightly in 2024.
But two new hires brought on mid-year have made a significant impact on the number of incidents staff have seen since, with the library’s CEO hopeful the trend will continue.
According to a report considered by the library board at their Jan. 23 meeting, incidents at the library are continuing, with 33 recorded in 2024.
Of the incidents recorded in 2024 (some of the 33 fell into multiple categories), 10 were verbal aggression, two were physical aggression, eight were suspected narcotics, eight were alcohol, two were vandalism, one was theft and four were breach of trespass orders. There were no incidents of sexual harassment or possession of a weapon reported by library staff last year.
This represents a small increase from 2023, when 28 incidents were recorded that year, although most of them took place in the first half of the year.
“We’ve certainly seen many vulnerable people in our community space, but we haven’t seen an increase in incidents as we have in previous years, and I think that’s due to these two services,” CEO Ashley Kulchycki told CollingwoodToday in an interview.
The Collingwood Public Library acts as a daytime warming or cooling centre for those experiencing housing insecurity and has for many years. One of the library’s pressures remains the staff time dedicated to serving vulnerable individuals and the subsequent emotional burnout.
In October 2022, library administration launched an online form to make reporting incidents easier for staff. The incidents logged are sometimes between patrons, but also include incidents between patrons and library staff.
While more incidents have been reported this year over 2023, the report notes that more diligent reporting by library staff may have also contributed to the increase.
“When we have one month with no incidents, that’s a really big win for us,” said Kulchycki.
Library administration has taken steps to mitigate the increase in incidents they were seeing, which included hiring a part-time security guard from January to March 2023 for a pilot project.
The library board approved $15,000 in the 2024 operating budget to continue security services, with Secure Shield Security Inc. providing the service as of this past September.
In August, the library hired a social services worker through a $35,000 grant from the County of Simcoe. The pilot was so successful, Kulchycki said the county has agreed to continue funding the position, increasing it to full-time starting in March through a new contract.
Incidents at the library notably decreased from September on in 2024.
“Our month-over-month trend is getting lower. Through those two staffing resources, I do attribute that steady decline to having those people on site,” said Kulchycki. “Overall, it’s been really positive for everyone’s mental health.”
To read through the full report, click here.