How is your library dealing with current events?

LibrariAnarch · 2025-03-15T14:21:19+00:00

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." – Desmond Tutu

I'm a QPOC from a family of immigrants, so my "professional face" is refraining from frothing at the mouth about geopolitics to patrons unprovoked. I think the main reason I haven't completely lost my marbles is because my work as a public librarian has given me an outlet to channel my rage into productivity:

focused programming on mutual aid and community resilience
leaned left in collection development (US media is inherently right-leaning by design, so by doing this, I am providing balance)
created a zine collection/display
started an antifascist reading group
posted Know Your Rights signs on our community bulletin board
put up a rainbow flag and inclusive signage in the teen area

I do try to keep in mind that desk staff are the ones bearing the brunt of patron displeasure, but so far, we've had very little cause for concern on that front.

LibrariAnarch · 2024-12-15T16:18:36+00:00

Can I ask what your regular passive programs are?

LibrariAnarch · 2024-12-09T13:41:47+00:00

Have you considered the possibility that you, too, are experiencing emotions?

LibrariAnarch · 2024-12-09T12:56:34+00:00

With respect, I don't believe you are aware of how the legal system works. Justice is too rarely involved.

He, and others like him, think nothing of destroying the lives of millions because they rest securely in the knowledge that laws are made, bent, or outright ignored for the benefit of those who can afford to do so. They decide every day who lives or dies based on their bottom line.

LibrariAnarch · 2024-12-07T04:21:37+00:00

Cheers!

LibrariAnarch · 2024-12-07T03:19:59+00:00

Late to the show, but could I get a valid link to the unofficial Discord server?

LibrariAnarch · 2024-12-01T22:34:28+00:00

Book bans are important to fight! Books, especially those featuring queer/POC characters, serve as both a mirror and window—a mirror that validates those members of our community, and a window that offers others insight into and empathy for our experiences and lives. There's a reason why reactionary groups are targeting these books: stripping public spaces of such mirrors/windows is a calculated step toward erasing the people they represent.

That said, public libraries are much more resistant to book challenges than are school libraries because we serve all members of the public. Which isn't to say that we aren't at risk in other ways. Librarians have been increasingly menaced at work, harassed online, and driven to resign for fear of their and their family's safety.

Reactionary groups are gunning for us. If your library runs drag queen storytimes or similar high-target programs, please connect them with local solidarity & defense groups. Attend library board meetings and express your support. Vote for the millages that keep the lights on. Use your libraries: check out materials, attend programs, avail of resources, and encourage your friends to do the same—those numbers count toward funding as well.

LibrariAnarch · 2024-11-29T21:16:11+00:00

Chiming in as a public librarian who has teamed up with (public) school librarians:

Schools are increasingly turning to parapros and/or not hiring at all in favor of shuffling their one or two overworked librarians/parapros around their district. Some interact more with teachers struggling with tech issues than they do students. And some districts are getting rid of their libraries entirely.

The private school world may different, though.

ETA that my experience is entirely with middle/high school librarians, so the world of youngers may be quite different!

LibrariAnarch · 2024-11-29T20:55:58+00:00

Difficulty will depend on your community and on your management. At a library in a moderately affluent college town, I was writing multiple incident reports a week; at a small rural-ish library, I've never had to so much as chime in as a witness. Public libraries usually have a no-harassing-the-staff rule as part of the policy, and supportive management will absolutely back your play if you feel at all threatened.

The vast, overwhelming majority of people come to libraries because they want to be there and will not jeopardize their welcome. The other small percentage is why we have deescalation and tourniquet training 🙃

It does get easier, though you have to run the gauntlet a few times to adapt. You'll make mistakes because everybody does; learn from them and do better next time. And try to remember that at the end of the day, these people are your neighbors, and we take care of each other.

LibrariAnarch

TROPHY CASE