Katherine Knox writes: “The ongoing battle for the health and safety of library staff has garnered increasing attention in recent years, with numerous reports and articles worldwide highlighting a troubling surge in negative incidents. These include verbal abuse, physical assaults, threats of violence, overdoses, and other alarming occurrences. The following is a summary of the latest reports on current causes of negative incidents, which protective measures are working to reduce incidents and which are not, and what new procedures and initiatives can be adopted to improve the lives of library staff and patrons.”