Findings

Below are some of the major findings from our research:

  1. Trauma is being increasingly experienced by staff and management in all types of libraries (pubic, school, academic, prison) in all types of locations (urban, sub-urban, rural, etc), by all demographics, including age, gender, ability, and ethnicity.
  2. Over 80% of the 8200 trauma incidents reported in the online survey occurred in the past five years (2018-2022) alone. This rise is consistent with research about the changing nature of America’s communities, declines in community support and social capital, and increase in library staff serving as frontline workers. As one survey respondent explained ‘We’re having 200 incidents a year involving direct threats to staff. Managers spend much time in a security role. I’ve lost count how many times and ways I’ve been threatened in the last 7 years, when incidents really started to rise.” One interview participant described how they had to deal with 3 deaths (due to overdose) in 24 hours on library property.
  3. Library staff are unacknowledged for their roles as vital frontline workers and libraries are not provided with financial support and mechanisms to support this role.
  4. Municipalities are not offering the services needed to make libraries safe or if they do, the reaction is not timely. This is double-edged as many staff do not want police or security guard presence in their libraries because of their negative effects on patrons and lack of police/security training.
  5. Sources of trauma are triggered both externally (patron arising) and internally (management and institutionally arising) and include racial/gender/ability abuse.
  6. Ageing infrastructure is a source of staff trauma.
  7. While Covid19 was a major source of staff trauma at the outset of this study and still remains; the increase in censorship and book bans is an increasing source of library trauma that library staff (especially public and school) are not widely prepared to contend with that is having ongoing major effects, from harassment to leaving the workplace. Overdoses is also on the rise with libraries following different policies on the administration of Narcan. In libraries where Narcan is not allowed, staff administer the drug privately by “going on break” to treat the patron. Staff are also afraid about the effects of Narcan use when patrons awake suddenly, often with violent outbursts.
  8. Differences and tensions exist among the perceptions of staff/management, administration and trustees about the sources and extent of staff trauma, and techniques for supporting staff.
  9. The most frequently reported types of trauma are: verbal abuse and physical assault. Destruction of property, theft, assault with a weapon, sexual assault, and violent death is also occurring.
  10. The most frequent health problems of library staff are anxiety (42.2%) and depression (34.7%).
  11. Female staff are twice as likely to experience verbal abuse.
  12. 79% of survey respondents have access to an employee assistance program (EAP) but interview data indicates that these programs are difficult to access and provide insufficient support for workplace trauma. Moreover, staff reported that having to repeatedly “prove” their medical situations/trauma was in itself re-traumatizing.
  13. There is no consistency across US libraries regarding policy, procedures and mechanisms for staff trauma, ranging from reporting to supporting staff.
  14. Interview and fishbowl data indicate that the types of support that staff would find useful vary and depend on the type of trauma experienced, institutional factors, and individual preferences. Many current library practices are considered insufficient, akin to “putting a band-aid on a wound.”
  15. Primary forms of helpful support include acknowledgement that trauma is occurring; validation of the effects of re-occurring and intergenerational trauma; the susceptibility of genders, abilities, and pre-existing conditions on staff; peer support; anonymously sought support; and flexible aids including time off, rotation, and therapies.
  16. Staff with pre-existing conditions, including past trauma or discrimination, are 50% more susceptible to library workplace trauma.
  17. Staff are leaving their libraries for jobs in other libraries, leaving the profession entirely for other occupations, or retiring early due to trauma that are experiencing. Short staffed means staff have increased frontline time to cover all shifts properly with staff doing the work of more than one person.
  18. Unions are strongly favored as a positive support for library staff, though some staff say unions are discouraged in their workplace.
  19. Staff are not being adequately prepared for the reality of today’s workplace—MLIS programs are not offering the needed education and training. 

Special thanks to our collaborators and those that helped recruit a diverse sample of library staff across the country: 

Black Caucus ALA, Reforma, Association for Rural and Small Libraries, the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association and Urban Librarians Unite.