Changing environments to promote safety in libraries

• The purpose of this article is to investigate how changes in the environment of a library affect thesafety conditions of both visitors and staff. Using principles of Crime Prevention ThroughEnvironmental Design, crime and incidents of public disturbance from 2017 to 2020 from librariesin Stockholm, Sweden, are analyzed and later mapped using 3D models in CAD. These findings areinspected via fieldwork visits and then compared with answers from a safety survey with libraryvisitors (N=112) and interviews with library personnel (N=6). Analysis of variance shows thatcrime and incidents of public disturbance decrease after these interventions, with clear impactson their geography. A third of visitors indicate that there have been fewer problems after changes in the library are introduced while staff suggests that training prepares them to manage conflictsituations more efficiently. The study concludes with a critical assessment of the methodologyand makes suggestions to improve safety conditions in libraries.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

crime

safety

library

place management

BIM

CPTED

Urban and Regional Studies

Urbana och regionala studier

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)