Fall River officials split vote on new library security hires, approve temporary processing archivist

The Fall River City Ordinance and Legislation Committee on a motion split and tabled consideration of two proposed full-time security officer positions for the Fall River Public Library while approving a separate, temporary processing archivist position to move forward with funding from library state aid.

The committee heard testimony from Felicia Desmeris, director of the Fall River Public Library, who described repeated incidents at the library that she said have strained staff and raised safety concerns. "We have had issues where some of our staff have had to step in and deal with the problem," Desmeris said, citing a series of behavior incidents that included an attempted suicide in a library bathroom and staff injuries. She said the library currently employs two part-time security staff who work evenings and that those employees have not met the qualifications the library now seeks.

The committee's action split the ordinance so members could consider the security positions and the processing archivist separately. Committee members repeatedly pressed for more…