The Grand Rapids Public Library has seen a “substantial increase” in patrons exhibiting disruptive or unsafe behaviour in its flagship downtown building, according to a report published by library officials.
The December 2025 document came ahead of a planned interior redesign project at the building, which is expected to “reimagine” portions of the library’s teen and children’s section, lobby, and lower-level common areas. Public comment sessions for that redesign will begin in November.
Library officials say the redesign is justified in part due to elevated concerns of dangerous or disruptive conduct among downtown library patrons.
The most frequently recorded offenses were “Loud or Disruptive Behavior” and “Angry/Agitated.” Other less common offenses included drug and alcohol use, masturbation, pornography, urination and defecation, indecent exposure, and fighting.
“The current location of the Lower Level service desk offers poor sightlines relative to the study spaces and public computer areas,” the document reads. “This positioning makes it operationally difficult for staff to effectively observe and intervene in developing situations.”
Safety is referenced at least 19 times throughout the 58-page report. Many of the library’s most concerning incidents are due to its proximity to Veterans Park, a location where homeless individuals often congregate, the document says. The park was the site of a stabbing earlier this year.
“There has been a substantial increase in disruptive and unsafe behavior near GRPL’s Main Library,” it reads. “This has been particularly true to the immediate south of the building, near the bus stop and in Veteran’s Memorial Park.”
The library creates an incident report after a patron breaks library rules and is issued a ban. A monitoring log occurs when a patron breaks a rule but is not banned.
The number of incident reports created by the Main Library is on the rise, going from 207 in fiscal year 2023 to 350 in fiscal year 2025. The average length of a ban issued by the library in fiscal year 2025 was 14 months.
Even with five security guards on staff at the library, a whopping 93% of all systemwide incident reports that resulted in a ban of more than two years took place at the Main Library campus.
The total number of incident reports and monitoring logs created by the Main Library in fiscal year 2025 was 721. This figure far outpaced any other library in the Grand Rapids system, with the next closest number of bans being the Van Belkum location with 103.
Katie Zychowski, director of marketing and communications for the Grand Rapids Public Library system, told The Herald the interior redesign will focus on mitigating the unwanted behaviors.
“As with any shared space, situations in which patrons break stated library rules do occur,” she wrote via email. “Obstructed sightlines and outdated layouts at the Main Library impact effective space monitoring and behavior management. While we work hard to overcome sightline and layout challenges, it is essential that we reimagine our Main Library’s interior space to better support our efforts and to ensure a welcoming and safe atmosphere for every resident.”
“By addressing how our interior is intended to function, we can design spaces that reduce disruptive activities and foster even more of the positive behaviors we wish to see in the library,” she added.
Write to jackson@grherald.com