SAN DIEGO — The incidents range from an 11-year-old patron telling downtown library staff that he hopes they "get shot and die" after they told him he couldn't print a toy gun on a 3D printer at the downtown library to people using the bathroom sink as their shower to reports of people in a branch parking lot trying to pry open a gun safe.
These incidents, obtained through a public records request, provide only a small glimpse of San Diego Public Librarians' day-to-day experiences.
While many incidents are resolved without additional follow-up, many escalate, leading to suspensions and restraining orders preventing library patrons from returning.
According to city data, San Diego public librarians issued 525 suspensions from July 2023 through June 30, 2024.
Misty Jones is the San Diego Public Library Director. Jones has worked in libraries for over 25 years and says there has always been one tenet for all librarians to live by: Expect the unexpected.
The unexpected, says Jones, seems to be more commonplace now.
"There's been an increase in substance abuse issues," Jones told CBS 8. "Mental illness and a lack of resources is coupled with having a large homeless population in San Diego. The kinds of issues that we see are sometimes really extreme. It puts my staff in these precarious positions where they must be social workers and do their normal jobs."
So, what kind of issues do librarians face daily?
While some incidents are from frustrated patrons who were forced to log off computers to allow others to use them, others were far more serious.
July 20, 2023 — Pacific Beach Library: A 14-year-old girl told a librarian a man was masturbating in front of her. When she tried to leave the library, the man was outside again with his hands down his pants. The man was later suspended from the library.
May 17, 2023 — Ocean Beach Library: A male patron asked the librarian for a book on "how to draw women." When the librarian said there was no such book on the shelves, he then asked for books on gymnastics. The man was then seen going into the men's restroom. A security guard entered to check on him and noticed the wall was filled with pornographic pictures.
July 28, 2023 — Ocean Beach Library: A patron is unconscious near the front door after overdosing on fentanyl. Paramedics arrive and resuscitate him.
November 6, 2023 — Carmel Valley Library: Two men were seen in the parking lot "attempting to open a Winchester Gun Safe." Read the incident report: "The gun safe is out of the trunk. The locksmith came with his own car and set out a table with all of his tools, trying to open the locked gun safe. The locksmith claimed there was no gun in the safe but said, 'We do not know that, and this is a library frequently visited by families of young children, and he's concerned.'"
To prepare its staff for these potentially dangerous situations, city libraries have introduced new trainings and brought in new team members prepared to help.
There's been an increase in security and city libraries have partnered with San Diego County's behavioral health department to have mental health workers in the building. Library staff also has to undergo de-escalation training -- similar to a police officer.
Jones says it's difficult for staff. They sign up for the job to help people find information, to direct patrons to resources. This still plays a big role, she says, but unofficial duties such as social worker and mental health specialist have found their ways onto the check list.
Library employees still show up each day because they're committed to public service, even if the potential for violence wasn't a part of the plan.
"Is this person in front of me that I'm helping going to escalate the situation to the point that it becomes a dangerous situation, Jones says the staff wonders. "That is not what many librarians signed up for or expected."
And while the situations can be tense and often unnerving, Library Director Jones says librarians are a special breed.
"I call us do-gooders. That's what librarians are because, at the core, they want to help people," said Jones. "We have the opportunity to change the trajectory of people's lives. We have this opportunity to transform and help people be successful."