× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

DECATUR – The Decatur Public Library is going to be closed to all patrons Friday so the library staff can learn how to deal with a few patrons they wish were somewhere else.

The librarians will hear a presentation from library security expert Warren Graham, who is known as “The Black Belt Librarian,” after he wrote a book about coping with difficult borrowers.

City Librarian Rick Meyer said his staff won't be mastering unarmed combat techniques designed for hushed environments. Instead, he said the emphasis on Graham's approach is using personnel skills to defuse disputes or, better still, head them off before trouble breaks out.

A recent edition of “Connections” magazine, published by The Friends of the Decatur Public Library, included examples of library misbehavior ranging from dealing with unruly children and teens to coping with drunken and angry patrons and homeless people “who use library furniture to dry laundry.”

Meyer said the issue of handling problem people has come into sharper focus since previous security measures such as having police on duty behind the counter were dropped because of budget cuts.