So… what is going on? 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.

Current Causes

Incident analyses and staff and patron surveys provided by the Library Workplace Violence and Harassment Survey (CUPE study), the Urban Library Trauma Study (ULT study), the Multnomah County Library Audit (MCL audit), and a number of articles (see reference list), the two main library issues are lack of support from management and patrons acting out due to mental health and addiction issues.

Libraries have long been a refuge for every type of person, including those under the influence of drugs and/or with mental health issues and (as the MCL audit report noted about their region) many cities have “systemic issues of inadequate behavioral health and substance use resources.” According to the ULT study, library staff working directly with the public “are being forced to do the work of social workers and they are developing secondary traumatic stress.” An increasing number of workers (nearly half of the respondents in the CUPE study) are now reporting that “they have assisted or intervened with an overdose or another trauma.”

The difference in type of work has led to a “discursive divide between differently situated workers in the library hierarchy.[8] In interviews, library management often focuses on giving chances, welcoming all, and trauma-informed service, not on the trauma front-line staff endure or the role of leadership to protect everyone. One survey respondent said, “many times things happen to staff and admin ignores it and doesn’t share any information to help others avoid it or words of comfort.[9] Staff are told to take breaks and call for help when needed but little is done to prevent incidents and in some cases staff are reprimanded for calling for help. Trauma resources for staff are little to non-existent and, regardless of the ongoing safety issues, staff are still expected to work or “rove” alone or in isolated areas of the library and enforce library policies.[10]

Current Measures

Many libraries have started employing security guards and, some have started employing social workers. In some cases, it’s an expensive solution. Toronto, Canada spends “$3 million a year on security guards” and Pima County Public Library in Arizona budgets $650k a year.[11] Beaverton City Library, however, partnered with Greater Good Northwest and CareOregon. The nonprofits assist patrons with social services and emergency supplies several days a week without additional salary cost to the library. In the Midwest, about a dozen social workers are now employed at libraries, connecting patrons to social and mental health services. One social worker at the Indianapolis Public Library said, “I’m able to spend that time, pick up the phone, ask the question, send an email to a community partner, if I have that relationship.'[12]

Some libraries, like Multnomah County Library, Saskatchewan, and Bozeman Public Library in Montana, have started providing their staff with conflict management and security-related courses. Annual staff days at Bozeman Public Library, for example, include law enforcement instruction that addresses common situations, such as how to de-escalate conflicts or how to approach individuals who are mentally ill or violent. Such training “gives staff a level of self-confidence,” says Gregory.”[13] That said, more than 50% of those surveyed in the CUPE study said violence training either did not help or they didn’t know if it helped or not.

Bozeman also offered use of their office space for local police and, according to management, the increased “low-key” presence has decreased the frequency of problem behaviors. The police have plans to create an interactive children’s area in the library’s lobby to further increase the positive experiences.[14]

Recommended Measures

Almost every report suggested that changes needed to occur within library leadership to create a more supportive environment. “Leadership must value their workers as whole people, not just as vessels to provide a certain service,” said Gretchen Corsillo in her article “Creating Safer Libraries. [15] The ULT study recommendations all centered around trauma-informed leadership and support for staff: “the application of a trauma-informed approach to librarianship is one of the strongest arguments promoting the need for rigorous trauma responsiveness in libraries from an organizational perspective.” Another repeated suggested was professional evaluations of safety procedures to “analyze trends for more proactive response[s].[16]

In “A dangerous occupation? Violence in public libraries,” Sarah Farrugia suggests that “risk assessment is the crucial first step in this process and risk management strategies should follow.”[17] The recent MCL audit is an example of how it might work. The auditors found Oregon Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) compliance issues and offered 10 recommendations for improvement, including communication protocols, regular leadership visits to all locations, and further workplace violence assessments.

Other solutions from the CUPE report involved more effective or longer bans for problematic patrons, zero tolerance for abuse, expanded union education of employee rights, and hiring more library floor staff to cut solitary work. The ULT study noted that “the philosophy of ‘the customer is always right’” in libraries has contributed to inconsistent boundaries in library work, leaving frontline library workers “vulnerable to abuse.”

REFERENCES

1. CUPE Research. “TURNING THE PAGE: Library Workplace Violence and Harassment Survey Report.” March 2023.

2. Travers, Lis, and Melissa Ridgen. “Why Is There an Increase of Violence in Canadian Public Libraries?” Global News, April 22, 2023.

3. “Multnomah County Library Employees Raise Serious Concerns with Security, Workforce Equity, and Staffing.” Multnomah County Website. Accessed [2/7/2024]. URL: https://www.multco.us/auditor-mcguirk/multnomah-county-library-employees-raise-serious-concerns-security-workforce-equity.

4.”Urban Library Trauma Study Final Report.” Urban Librarians Unite. Posted June 21, 2022. Accessed [2/7/2024]. URL: https://urbanlibrariansunite.org/ults-final-report/

5. “Health Hazards of Librarianship – Not Just Paper Cuts.” Public Libraries Online. Posted February 15, 2021. Accessed [2/7/2024]. URL: https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2021/02/health-hazards-of-librarianship-not-just-paper-cuts/

6. Union Library Workers Blog. Accessed [2/7/2024]. URL: http://unionlibraryworkers.blogspot.com/

7. Zielinski, Alex. “Most Multnomah County Library Staff Feel Unsafe at Work, Audit Finds.” Oregon Public Broadcasting, December 7, 2023. Accessed [2/7/2024]. URL: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/12/07/audit-finds-most-multnomah-county-library-staff-feel-unsafe-at-work/

8. Stevenson, Siobhan. “Third-Party Violence, Incivility, and the Frontline Public Library Worker.” The Library Quarterly 92, no. 4 (2022):  doi: https://doi.org/10.1086/721394.

9. Dixon, Jennifer A. “Safety First | Library Security.” Library Journal, May 24, 2016. Accessed [2/7/2024]. URL: https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/safety-first-library-security

10. Benson, Darian. “Why Your Local Library Might Be Hiring a Social Worker.” NPR, January 3, 2022. Accessed 2/7/2024. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/01/03/1063985757/why-your-local-library-might-be-hiring-a-social-worker.

11. Ibid.

12. “Creating Safer Libraries.” Public Libraries Online. Posted October 29, 2021. Accessed 2/7/2024. URL: https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2021/10/creating-safer-libraries/.

13. Ibid.

14. Dixon, Jennifer A. “Safety First | Library Security.”

15. Ibid.

16. “Multnomah County Library Employees Raise Serious Concerns with Security, Workforce Equity, and Staffing.”

17. Farrugia, Sarah. “A Dangerous Occupation? Violence in Public Libraries.” New Library World 103, no. 9 (2002): 309-319. doi: 10.1108/03074800210445444

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At the end of 2022, I posted a survey on various listservs to determine how other libraries managed their world language collections, including selection, cataloging, and distribution. The majority of libraries across the U.S. that responded use demographic data from the census as their primary source for determining which non-English languages to provide to their community. Specifically, libraries use the American Community Survey which provides data down to the city level and is updated continuously. School district data, local surveys and need assessments, as well as patron attendance of English learning programs, are additional vital sources.

Diana Miranda-Murillo at the Austin Public Library in Texas says, “something that is not included in the demographic data is how people move in the city. For example, we might know that Spanish speaking people are not living around a certain area of town but they might work there. So, paying attention to data on where customers return materials [is important].”

Miranda-Murillo also suggests partnering with local cultural and refugee organizations for determining languages and types of materials. “For example, when I approached the Association of Ukrainians in Austin, I learned it is a community with families and small children so I added Ukranian materials that matched that profile.”

Once the languages are determined, choosing the materials within each language is challenging. Librarian selectors fluent in the language is ideal but not always possible. Many libraries rely on vendors, such as Tsai Fong Books and Multicultural Books and Videos, to supply a selection of world language materials using specific parameters, patron feedback, and continuous adjustments to get the best for their community.

Lana Harman from the Yolo County Library in Northern California says, “Standing orders were tried in the past but were unsuccessful as vendors are usually located in major cities and a) judge what my community needs by the needs of the community they live in; and b) unload slow-moving books on us.”

More and more libraries are hiring bilingual librarians, especially in the local predominant non-English language, which helps with purchasing as well. Bilingual selectors can also travel to various world book fairs, such as FIL Guadalajara, to get materials from smaller publishers and upcoming titles, as well as assess trends. Long Beach Public Library in California sends staff to Cambodia every 3-5 years to purchase materials in Khmer.

Alternatively, libraries like California’s Arcadia Public Library look at what other libraries in similar community demographics are purchasing. The Hillsboro Public Library in Oregon recently partnered with the library in their sister town in Japan to assess each other’s language collection and make suggestions for improvement.

“Local feedback” and “patron requests” in determining purchases were both common library responses in the survey, including the Benicia Public Library in California, Tigard Public Library in Oregon, Ann Arbor District Library in Michigan. For their smaller world language collections, Tigard Public Library and Long Beach Public Library also rely on donations.

Of course, due to monetary, selection, and staffing restrictions, not all languages can be provided (on location or through outreach). Ann Arbor District Library offers a small amount in 125  languages but only focuses on about 25 and Long Beach Public Library uses a similar methodology. Until receiving a grant from the California State Library, Benicia Public Library was only able to offer Spanish materials as an alternative to English. The grant allowed them to expand their world language collections to seven languages and have, since then, added two more.

Another alternative is limited languages in one area – such as adult materials – so the resources can be used more efficiently elsewhere. Youth materials are often less expensive and bilingual, so resources can go further. Some libraries, like the Multnomah County Library in Oregon, offer a greater number of languages for outreach books since they can be uncatalogued and have very little processing (both huge cost savings).

As our communities develop and diversify further, it is increasingly important for public libraries to provide quality world language collections. Ideally the availability and cost of materials from other countries will improve (as well as funding of course) but it is clear that collaboration is key, between libraries, vendors, and local organizations. Thank you to all of the libraries that responded to my survey for this article – I hope it leads to some amazing world language collection discussions and partnerships.

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A few of the libraries are not surprising – Seattle Central  and Los Angeles Central  were on the Fodor’s World’s Most Stunning Libraries list in 2017 as well and St. Louis’ Central Library is frequently fawned over in these types of lists (rightfully so). The other libraries in their selection are less discussed beauties and certainly grandiose. The higher the ceilings and more glass (or marble), the better.
Fodor’s list included the 280,000 square foot Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix, Arizona with an atrium, glass elevators, and a reflecting pool and the 230,000 square foot Columbus Metropolitan Library  with “glass curtain walls surrounded by 360-degree views of outside nature.” Continuing this theme of glass, Mandel Public Library in West Palm Beach and Slover Library in Norfolk, Virginia both have multi-story floor-to-ceiling windows. For those more interested in columns and marble staircases, the other libraries on Fodor’s list are of the Greek persuasion. Wilmington Public Library in Delaware is described as Neoclassic with “a massive, symmetrical white-gray façade.” Nashville Public Library has the Grand Reading Room, the Grand Stair, and the Courtyard (capitalization intentional), Indianapolis Central Library is on the National Register of Historic Places, and Louisville Free Public Library Main Branch has a 13-foot bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln.

But what about the small libraries without barrel-vaulted ceilings? They may not be among the 11 most
beautiful but a quick search in Fodor’s archive offers “10 Adorable Little Free Libraries Across the U.S.”
and “These Hotel Libraries Look So Unbelievably Cozy.” Enjoy the eye candy!

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How can public libraries help make birding more equitable? To answer this question, we need to know what we are up against. Here are some “fun” facts and quotes I dug up:

• Bird naming has traditionally honored “people with connections to slavery and supremacy” (including James Audubon who bought and sold slaves). [1]

• At the National Audubon Society “the membership is 72 percent female, but the executive staff is 75 percent male—and the organization has never had a female president in its 114 years.” [2]

• Ornithologist Drew Lanham has written nine rules for Black birders, including: “Don’t bird in a hoodie. Ever.” [3]

• “Nature reserves and wildlife refuges tend to be located in remote areas that lack diversity.” [4]

• “Birding trips with straight men have been very difficult,” says Chase Mendenhall, a cisgender gay man and curator of birds at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Straight spaces often feel hyper-competitive and masculinized, he says, which can suck the fun out of birding and “make more queer people left out of the team.” [4]

• “Information on how accessible parks, hiking trails, and birding locations are is frequently incomplete or non-existent, making it difficult for people who experience accessibility challenges to find places to go birding.” [5]

• “People give you that weird look when you say that you are a birder. People still think that it is a hobby for retirees, ornithologists, naturalists, professional photographers etc.” [6]

As community spaces, public libraries have the potential to reach birders (and all people) that do not feel welcome in other spaces. My library, the Hillsboro (OR) Public Library (HPL), has two branches next to ADA-accessible parks, one wooded and the other with ponds. Because of these natural areas, experienced and novice birders are already drawn to the area. Our task, then, is to engage those who might be excluded elsewhere.

One passive programming idea we used to engage young people and families was to put out bird feeders that can be viewed from the juvenile and young adult area with bird identification posters on display nearby. We also put up a white board for anyone to add their latest bird and mammal viewings as they enter the library.

That all sounds easy but most libraries are not next to parks and many may not be able to add an easily viewable bird feeder. What are some other inclusive options?

• Create a display for #BlackBirdersWeek (book recommendations below).
• Reach out to local BIPOC and LGBTQ+ birding groups and offer to put up their flyers on the community board.
• Find out if your local Parks and Rec department offers birding programs for youth and minorities and help advertise.
• Offer a neighborhood Walk with a (Birding) librarian program to your local senior or community center.

If none of those are available and your library has the resources, start your own inclusive birding group or take patrons on virtual birding trips using social media. In 2020 when our branches closed due to the pandemic, myself and another HPL staffer started BiblioBirders in which we took videos while birding locally and explained the identification process.

In addition to feeling excluded because of appearance, people are also left out due to cost and accessibility. Making birding kits (with binoculars and identification books) available for check-out are a great way to reach those with financial barriers to birding. Philadelphia public libraries started offering birding backpacks in 2017. “You can certainly spend a lot of money on birding if you buy expensive objects and go on lavish trips, but you can also go to the library and take out a backpack, and walk or take the bus to a local park,” says BirdPhilly founder Tony Croasdale. [7]

As always, include materials written in the languages of your community and in large print as much as possible. There are also a number of audio or braille options available through The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.[8] For maps of outdoor spaces with ADA-accessible paths go to https://birdability.org. Birdability also offers inclusivity guidance documents, including language and planning tips.

Title Recommendations for Your Library

• Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers, by John C. Robinson (Wings-on-disk)
• Represent! 2020 by Nadira, Regine L. Sawyer, Jesse J. Holland, Christian Cooper (DC Comics)
• Bird Boy (An Inclusive Children’s Book) by Matthew Burgess (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
• Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors by Carolyn Finney (The University of North Carolina Press)
• The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham, Ph.D. (Milkweed Editions)

Further Reading and Resources

• Welcoming the Inclusive Birder (https://www.talkinbirds.com/ideas-for-welcoming-and-inclusive-birders)
• What White Birders Can Learn From Amy Cooper About Their Own Racism by Hannah Waters (https://www.audubon.org/news/what-white-birders-can-learn-amy-cooper-about-their-own-racism)
• Feminist Bird Club (https://www.feministbirdclub.org/)
• Outdoor Afro (https://outdoorafro.com/)
• Audubon Para Ninos (https://www.audubon.org/es/audubon_para_ninos)

• National Library Service for the Blind and Disabled – Birding Publications= https://www.loc.gov/nls/braille-audio-reading-materials/lists-nls-produced-books-topic-genre/listings-on-narrow-topics-minibibliographies/birding/
• Free Birding Apps: Merlin Bird ID (Cornell University), eBird (Cornell University), Audubon Bird Guide (National Audubon Society), Song Sleuth (Wildlife Acoustics and David Sibley)
• https://vpm.org/articles/16927/watch-now-birds-birders-and-bias

References

[1] Fears, Daryl. “The racist legacy many birds carry.” The Washington Post, June 3, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2021/bird-names-racism-audubon/

[2] Saha, Purbita, et al. (2019, May 3). When women run the bird world [News Post]. Retrieved from https://www.audubon.org/news/when-women-run-bird-world

[3] Scott, Jacqueline L. (2020, June 2). What you should know about black birders [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/what-you-should-know-about-black-birders-139812

[4] Jones, Benji. (2018, June 29). For the LGBTQ Community, Birding Can Be a Relief—and a Source of Anxiety [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://www.audubon.org/news/for-lgbtq-community-birding-can-be-relief-and-source-anxiety

[5] (2022, April 14) https://gis.audubon.org/Birdability/

[6] (2022, April 14) https://www.birdingiscool.com/

[7] Johns, Alaina. “Philadelphians Let Their Inner Birder Fly with Birding Backpacks at the Free Library.” City Wide Stories, September 30, 2019. Retrieved from https://citywidestories.com/2019/09/30/philadelphians-let-their-inner-birder-fly-with-birding-backpacks-at-the-free-library/

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