We have heard it about paramedics and police offices and even about emergency ward staff but the latest concerning wave of unprovoked public violence seems to have overflowed toward librarians. They are not alone among council workers to experience this troubling growth in verbal and physical threats, with meals on wheels and home care workers also listed, but there is a understandable indignation that the custodians of public information, modest bibliophiles and gregarious facilitators, should be its victims.
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Ballarat CEO Justine Linley has rightly pointed out everyone has a right to be safe in their workplace and a public that does not respect other people’s workplace or the space that is increasingly becoming a community hub could well forfeit their right to be there. The council seems to be well aware of the problem and is currently devising structural and process solutions. Some metropolitan libraries have employed security guards and while that may seem extreme, the validity comes down to the question of whether librarians should have to deal with extreme behavior themselves.
At the same time this has been a problem a long time in the making. The great success of Ballarat library is that it has become an inclusive space; so much more than the musty book collections of yore where draconian librarians compelled readers to silence. The numbers speak for themselves, pursuing an information hub in all its forms is of enormous community value. But it comes at a price and one of these prices cannot be the safety or well-being of its staff. However the last thing libraries want through boosted security is to become exclusive places. There may be other ways.
Large metropolitan libraries in the United States have already had to deal with the enormous influx of the homeless. Sadly many of these patrons often suffer mental illness, particularly in the decades since the closure of institutions. Some US librarians report as many as half of their regular clientele fall into these categories.
But Professor Richard Gunderman has also argued that many libraries in the states have embraced their safe haven role. The education and support of librarians needed to handle these patrons and liaise with outside support services, is the priority. Whatever approach we take to the problem it will take more resources and support to ensure libraries remain the safe hubs the community expects.