Lighting gets OK for library

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The air conditioning annex behind Cooke County Library, was vandalized during July 4 holidays. Despite security cameras mounted onto the library building, suspects have been able to visit the facility at night and do damage or steal signs due to poor lighting. Staff photo by Greg Russell

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July 11, 2012

Lighting gets OK for library

By GREG RUSSELL, Register Staff Writer Gainesville Daily Register The Daily Register Wed Jul 11, 2012, 10:28 AM CDT

Gainesville — Increased security measures at Cooke County Library are hoped to keep the facility safer from vandalism.

During Monday’s regular meeting, county commissioners approved the installation of flood lights behind the building that will brighten the area’s giant back parking lot.

The extra wattage has become necessary despite the library’s video surveillance, since officials have determined that potential intruders won’t always register on camera.

“There’s no lighting in the back parking lot and everything here is street lights,” said Cooke County Library Director Jennifer Johnson-Spence. “So if there’s no lighting, you can’t see any activity that’s happening except for the headlights going in and out.”

The decision to add lights was triggered by vandalism. Spence explained Tuesday that during July 4 holidays, suspects tipped over air conditioning units located at the rear of the facility.

“When we came in after the Fourth of July, there was no air conditioning,” she said. “Luckily, the unit didn’t have damage.”

But Spence said when staff opened facility doors Tuesday morning, a banner was missing from the front of the building. The exterior security cameras have been helpful, she added, but an interior alarm system isn’t realistic since the facility isn’t large enough to accommodate it.

She admitted her library doesn’t have a rich history of criminal visitors, but it hasn’t been free of incident. In January 2011, suspects reportedly started a fire inside one of the facility’s front book drops, destroying several books totaling $160 in value.

Also, some library policies have been necessarily changed due to isolated incidents. Patrons are no longer allowed to enter the facility with large bags, following cases of shoplifting. And while the library’s DVD checkout shelves had once included the discs in their cases, employees were forced to separate them and keep a disc inventory behind the counter, since some patrons were slipping out with stolen movies.

“Now, we have to do that like a Blockbuster,” Spence said. “And so we do what we have to do to make it work. Could be better, and worse.”