Librarians Confronting Job Trauma – a New Study Focuses on a New Problem

Libraries have been evolving for the past couple of decades from the traditional role they played for two centuries. They are no longer simply repositories of physical books that you can read sitting at a table or take home after presenting your library card. With the advent first of microfilm, then digital copies and databases filled with reams of information, along with internet access to vast amounts more, they have become resources on a much larger scale. Add to that rooms for study, lectures, and numerous other activities, the old image of nothing but shelves of books and a librarian telling you to “sh” has faded into the memory of the aging population. They are so much more today.

However, they also now fill other roles in society, not always voluntarily, but they are often the last refuge of those society has forgotten or shunned. Those are roles requiring much expertise and training that most librarians do not have. If dealing with some people's issues is too difficult or expensive for society to take on, they are effectively shunted off to libraries, where most people, other than librarians, will not see them. It has led to much stress and trauma for librarians. A study was recently released concerning the problem, the Urban Library Trauma Study.

We are not talking about people who return their books late or don't pay their fines (most libraries don't even charge fines for late books anymore). We are talking about people with social, psychological, or other personal issues little related to reading or other library functions. Many are the homeless, some stuck in the situation because of financial problems which could be resolved with good jobs or affordable housing. Others are homeless because of mental issues, unable to cope with regular society. They need psychological help, but it is unavailable, so they go to the one place with open doors, heating and cooling, sinks and toilets, and makeshift resting places – the local library. Sometimes they are harmless, just difficult to help. Other times they can be threatening, rude, unclean. Librarians are not trained to be psychologists or police officers, but may find themselves forced to play those roles.

Among other issues librarians confront are drug use, sometimes people high, perhaps even in life-threatening condition. Many libraries keep narcan, the drug that can save the lives of people who have overdosed, on hand. Others have family issues and come with excited tempers. They cannot take it out at home so they take it out on librarians. Some librarians find sympathetic administrators but others do not. They, or library directors, may wish to sweep the problem under the rug. The librarians may end up blamed for the problems when they seek help as those higher up don't want to deal with the issues any more than does the rest of society.

The study received 568 responses from librarians and others working in libraries. The focus was on urban libraries, though many of these issues occur in smaller, even rural libraries, where the issues may not be as dramatic, but the library staffs are smaller too. They then did virtual focus groups with some of the participants (virtual as this was the time of Covid). Perhaps the most shocking statistic was that 68.5% of the responses “indicated that the library worker had experienced violent or aggressive behavior at their libraries.” Usually it was from patrons, but not infrequently it came from coworkers. Stressed workers can lash out at their compatriots. This is no longer a world where the major challenge is dealing with someone talking too loudly.

Sexual harassment was a major issue. Reportedly, 80% of library workers are female. It's a running joke in the trade how some patrons come to the library to watch porn on their internet-connected terminals, librarians left to shield their screens from younger patrons. Along with sexual harassment, minority workers reported having to deal with racial harassment, black workers often having to deal with patrons calling them by the “n” word. Many times, those higher up just told them to deal with it, that they couldn't throw the offenders out. The patron is always right. Another library worker reported, “We have had multiple patrons come in with weapons, everything from large sticks to guns and knives.” Another reported, “I've had a teen patron pull a gun on me and physically assault a colleague. I felt like it wasn't taken seriously by library administration. I still have nightmares about it two years later.”

If this isn't disturbing enough, here is another thing to consider. These surveys were taken last summer. Things have changed in the last year and not for the better. We now see many libraries invaded by angry members of the community, or sometimes activist antagonists from far away. The librarians are attacked for the books offered, often picketed, screamed at, harassed, called pornographers or even pedophiles. People are incensed by books that may depict LGBTQ or other minorities in a positive light, claiming they are obscene, though they never seemed upset when librarians had to deal with porn being displayed on patron monitors in the past. In this survey, only 6 reported violent or aggressive behavior from community members versus 416 from patrons. One can only imagine what that number would be if the survey were taken today.

The report provides various suggestions that can help librarians deal with the stress they face. It is useful advice for library workers, but the reality is that libraries are but a microcosm of much larger problems Americans face today. In this way, librarians are not alone. Violence pervades much of society, even our schools, but little is done to stop it. We don't want to upset some special interest group or other. Teachers face similar harassment from certain parents and schools are finding it hard to hold onto them. They no longer find joy in what they are doing for what may be a lower wage than they could earn elsewhere. And election workers! God help them. These people, generally older or retired, come out once or twice a year dedicated to playing their role in preserving American democracy – registering and signing in voters and carefully counting their ballots, whether they like the results or not, grateful for the way we select our leaders. Now others who don't like the results threaten, harass, call them crooks for a simple clerical function we have done for over 200 years. They were once treated as the pillars of the American way, but no longer.

We, as a people, are going to have to protect our librarians and others who toil in obscurity to make this a great country. We need to deal with the societal problems that are causing trauma inside our libraries, schools, and other places, before they leave. They can only do so much to protect themselves when flames are raging outside the doors. We can never get everyone on board, but we need every hand possible, including those of goodwill who have been too focused on their personal day-to-day lives to pay much attention to what is going on around them. If our essential institutions, libraries, schools and more fail, America will fail, and we will all be the losers.

The complete Urban Library Trauma Study can be found here.