The issue of safety has been top of mind for many Butte County library-goers since last week’s deadly shooting at the Chico branch.
In the week since the attack, Butte County has added unarmed security guards at all libraries, which some residents have mixed feelings about.
This comes after there wasn’t a guard assigned to the Chico branch when a gunman killed two people on June 22, even though the country’s library contact allowed for one.
Sandra Cesca lives in Chico but was at the Durham library on Tuesday to return some books. She gets why the county chose to tighten security, but she said she wonders how much help a single standing guard can provide.
“Personally I don't think having a security guard is going to really do that much,” Cesca said. “I mean, it's more for the people to feel better.”
The county is still weighing its long-term library security plans. Cesca hopes it doesn’t include anything that resembles airport-style screening, like having metal detectors or pat downs.
“We're all used to it, and then we're not used to it,” she said. “So to have to bring that down to the level of a local community library, it's just really sad.”
Brian Burtenshaw, who was at the Oroville library Tuesday, shared a similar view — though he thinks an on-site security guard could help in an emergency.
“Just having this person that is trained to say observe and know what he's looking at, and maybe he can prevent something like that happening,” Burtenshaw said.
Still, Burtenshaw said it’s hard to know for certain.
“As a short-term solution, maybe it helps. I don't know if it does or not,” he said.
What Burtenshaw does know is that he doesn’t want more guns at libraries, even if they’re in the hands of guards.
For now, county officials say they'll continue to evaluate whether to keep the added security in place.
The suspect in last week’s shooting has not yet entered a plea.
