By Pathways to Resilience, Photo: Unsplash extension, Pathways to Resilience, August 5, 2022
In addition to being a place where people can discover new books, libraries are a community resource that offer a place to do homework, hold kids’ story time, access the internet, and provide individuals without homes an escape from the elements. However, the combination of these important responsibilities can mean that libraries are not always a safe place for library staff or patrons. The Urban Library Trauma Study’s survey of urban libraries found that 68.5% of staff have experienced violent or aggressive behavior at work from patrons. In trying to meet the needs of their patrons, library staff are serving as untrained social workers, while also experiencing racism, discrimination, threats, and violence in the workplace. The recently released Urban Library Trauma Study examines workplace trauma faced by library staff and explores strategies to make libraries safer for everyone. Libraries can serve as incredible community assets and can even be sources of trauma-responsive services, but more needs to happen to make this possible.
The Urban Library Trauma Study serves as both a cautionary tale and an opportunity for employers throughout the nation. Without appropriate supports in place, there is risk of losing library employees to burnout and perpetuating these traumatic and stressful experiences. Many of the library staff surveyed in the study cited the way incidents were handled by their organizations as the source of their trauma, saying that they did not feel adequately supported during or after the event or that their experiences were downplayed or ignored, leading to secondary traumatic stress and high rates of burnout.
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