Submission Date:
Question:
Can a library prevent someone from coming into the library if they refuse to wear a mask? I know that library behavior policies would need to be broadened to include mask-wearing. Are libraries required to provide a mask for the public - and what if a person wears the mask improperly - can they be asked to leave?
Answer:
New York has numerous “types” of libraries, serving a diverse array of locations. All of them are empowered to take the steps needed to serve their communities safely.
For libraries who want to do just that—knowing it will be a vital part of their community’s response and recovery—here is how to enact and enforce the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Step 1
Assess your library’s status under the current Executive Orders. Does your library regard itself as exempt from the Orders due to status as a governmental entity (like a school)?[1] Or has your library been operating under compliance with the 100% workforce reduction…and thus, subject to further such restrictions (or them being eased)?
If your library is subject to the Executive Orders, linking your policy to future Orders is a good idea. That’s why you’ll see that as a variable in the template, below. And if your library concluded it didn’t need to follow them, well, that part doesn’t apply to you.
Step 2
Assess what operations your library will resume. Will you resume lending books, but restrict reading rooms? Will you encourage curbside pickup, or perhaps lower your building capacity to ensure social distancing?
This step assumes that the return to full services might be incremental—but with the resumption of services tailored to the needs of your community. It is where the customization kicks in.
Step 3
Once your library has confirmed which activities will resume, select the appropriate safety protocols for those operations.
This is why this will not be an exercise in one-size fits all. Some libraries may decide to expand reading rooms or acquire additional electronic devices to loan. Some will need masks, some may need gloves, and others might adopt different safety measures. What’s important is that the measures be tailored to the activity.
As a starting place[2] for that selection, I really like this function-centered guidance from OSHA:
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/controlprevention.html#interim
NOTE on this guidance from OSHA: While the common thinking might be that libraries are primarily “customer service” environments (as the term is used by OSHA), many libraries have back end and programming operations that are even more interactive and tactile than retail. That’s why I like OSHA’s approach for this—it sorts COVID-19-related safety practices by function (of course, ALA and other library-specific resources will further distill and assess these resources for libraries[3]).
Step 4
If the option is available to your library, I strongly recommend confirming your library’s operational choices and related safety practices with your county health department. Your local health officials may even have some thoughts about unique considerations for your locality (after all, that is their job). This is also a great way to show the public that your library has thought these measures through thoroughly, that your choices are rationally related to your activities, and that they have credentialed back-up.
Step 5
As the member writes, once you have selected your operations and confirmed your safety measures, add the measures (temporarily) to your library’s Code of Conduct.
Here is a template policy for doing that (variables are in yellow, including whether or not your library must abide by the current Executive Orders):
The [Insert] Library is committed to serving its community during hard times and good.
The year 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges to our nation, state, and area of service.
To continue serving our patrons during this difficult time, while placing the health and safety of our community at the forefront, the Library Board of Trustees has adopted the below Temporary Safety Practices Policy.
The safety measures in this policy have been confirmed with the [Insert] County Health Department.
The board’s authority to adopt these measures is found in our charter, bylaws, New York Education Law Sections 255, 260, 226, 8 NYCRR 90.2, and Article 2 of the Not-for-profit corporation law. We also consider it our duty to develop these measures to keep our services accessible at this time.
Staff at the [Insert] Library have the authority to enforce these measures like any other of the Library’s Rules. Concerns about this policy should be directed to [Insert name]. Thank you for honoring these measures, which are designed to keep our community safe, while allowing access to the library.
[Insert Library] Temporary Safety Practices
Scope of Temporary Safety Measures
The [Insert] Library operates per relevant law and Executive Orders, including those pertaining to mandatory workforce reductions. Therefore, the temporary practices in this Policy may be further modified as needed to conform with relevant Orders.
Activities
Until the board votes to revoke this temporary policy, only the following routine activities may be performed on site at the library:
[list activities]
Safety Practices
Until the board votes to revoke this temporary policy, the library will require all people on the premises to abide by the following safety practices:
[based on activities and confirmed safety practices, including but not limited to use of particular PPE, insert]
ADA
In the event any safety requirement is not practicable on the basis of a disability, please contact [Insert name] to explore a reasonable accommodation.
Communication
To aid the community in honoring these requirements, the Library will transmit this policy through social media, and use a variety of health authority-approved, age-appropriate, multi-lingual and visual means to transmit this message in a manner consistent with our mission and our identity as a welcoming and accessible resource to the community.
Code of Conduct
Adherence to these practices shall be enforced as a requirement of the Library’s Code of Conduct until such time as this temporary policy is revoked.
In developing this guidance, I have considered the long line of federal cases related to the library access (starting with Kreimer v Bur. of Police).[4]
New York has a vivid array of people devoted to civil liberties, and there is a chance a community member could feel that conditioning library access on temporary protective measures adopted in the interest of public health could violate First Amendment or other rights. This is why careful consideration of what operations your library will resume, and enforcement of only those safety measures related to those operations (steps 1 and 2), are so critical.
The First Amendment tests of such measures will vary based on the circumstances,[5] but the goal of combining a clear policy with well-documented, informed decision-making, good communication, and the backup of health authorities, is to avoid the need for such legal testing in the first place!
As with all things template, the suggested language above should be modified to fit your unique library. If there is a local attorney versed in First Amendment and municipal law, this is a good time to bring them in to review your final product.[6] The town attorney for your municipality will have had to address similar First Amendment/safety concerns (and is probably doing a lot of that right now), so they might be a good pick.
And now, with all that as background,[7] to address the members’ specific questions:
Can a library prevent someone from coming into the library if they refuse to wear a mask?
Yes (but follow the steps above).
Are libraries required to provide a mask for the public?
No (but hey, it would be nice, especially if you can get them donated).
And what if a person wears the mask improperly - can they be asked to leave?
Yes (but take care to consider any implications under ADA[8]; some people might need to use alternate PPE).
Thank you for a great question. I wish you safe operations as you serve your community.
[1] Whatever your library decides should be consistent with its analysis in any decision to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program, or other aid.
[2] Of course—especially as the mother of a Type1 diabetic and Gen Xer with parents almost 80[2]— as a finishing place, I like a world where we no longer need to socially distance, maniacally sterilize, and use PPE…but we don’t know when we’ll get that world.
[3] I like writing guidance for libraries because at a certain point, you can assume they know how to find the type of resources one is describing. It’s like telling a lawyer that something is in the penal law—I assume they can just find what I’m talking about.
[4] Citation: 958 F2d 1242 [3d Cir 1992]
[5] A recent good example of how First Amendment tests can turn on precise circumstances can be seen in Wagner v Harpstead, 2019 US Dist LEXIS 220357 [D Minn Nov. 12, 2019, No. 18-cv-3429].
[6] This First Amendment concern is less critical for association libraries, but since such libraries also have a vested interest in maximizing access to their areas of service, it’s a good exercise for them, too.
[7] I do run on, I know. Occupational hazard.
[8] Here is a good resource for ADA and COVID-19: https://askjan.org/blogs/jan/2020/03/the-ada-and-managing-reasonable-accommodation-requests-from-employees-with-disabilities-in-response-to-covid-19.cfm
Tag:
ADA, COVID-19, Emergency Response, Masks, Policy, Public Health
