"Being open right now is dangerous, miserable, and borderline abusive."
June 19, 2020 11:06 AM Subscribe
A librarian from a library that's opened up reports on how it's going. (Thread Reader App link.) "Library workers are suffering and afraid. Library patrons are in danger in a system where, no matter how hard we try and what measures we take, we can't truly keep them safe. This isn't working."
"People are already giving up, and it's hard to blame them. How many times per day can you ask someone to put their mask back on, not knowing which one will result in them snapping on you and yelling abuse or threatening worse?
How many times can you refuse to use someone's computer for them or touch their device, followed by a torrent of abuse and complaints about bad service, before you just decide it's easier to risk death than to deal with one more person yelling at you?
How many traumatic encounters (because all the patrons are also stressed, angry, resentful) does it take before you decide that a mask over a mouth is better than nothing and just give up asking them for the 10th time to cover their nose?
This is about to devolve into a vent thread, but the point is this: this is the nicest possible way I can present this information. Being open right now is dangerous, miserable, and borderline abusive to staff. "
"People are already giving up, and it's hard to blame them. How many times per day can you ask someone to put their mask back on, not knowing which one will result in them snapping on you and yelling abuse or threatening worse?
How many times can you refuse to use someone's computer for them or touch their device, followed by a torrent of abuse and complaints about bad service, before you just decide it's easier to risk death than to deal with one more person yelling at you?
How many traumatic encounters (because all the patrons are also stressed, angry, resentful) does it take before you decide that a mask over a mouth is better than nothing and just give up asking them for the 10th time to cover their nose?
This is about to devolve into a vent thread, but the point is this: this is the nicest possible way I can present this information. Being open right now is dangerous, miserable, and borderline abusive to staff. "
This isn't working
Of course it's not working; it's not supposed to be working, it's just supposed to be a political performance. Whether it works for any of the "little people" is entirely beside the point.
posted by aramaic at 11:28 AM on June 19, 2020 [18 favorites]
Of course it's not working; it's not supposed to be working, it's just supposed to be a political performance. Whether it works for any of the "little people" is entirely beside the point.
posted by aramaic at 11:28 AM on June 19, 2020 [18 favorites]
I don't normally quote silly memes, but I did like the one that said, "We're gonna have to retire the expression 'Avoid it like the plague' because it turns out humans do not do that".
posted by JanetLand at 11:30 AM on June 19, 2020 [123 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 11:30 AM on June 19, 2020 [123 favorites]
The public health crisis is in part an effect of the public education crisis that began in the Reagan years when school budgets & curricula began to get slashed. The behavior talked about in the article is square on the shoulders of those she sought to keep the public as ignorant as possible by destroying public education. As ye reap...
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:37 AM on June 19, 2020 [15 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:37 AM on June 19, 2020 [15 favorites]
Thanks for posting this. Libraries here not open yet, but I've been worrying about when they do open (and those who can't use them at the moment).
posted by paduasoy at 11:38 AM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by paduasoy at 11:38 AM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
This poor librarian is in Miami-Dade County, Florida, which has about quarter of the state's 85K confirmed COVID-19 cases. I appreciate the FPP, OP, though it's an upsetting read. The public library system is one of the best things we have going as a society.
Back in the before times, abusive patrons had no place in the library; given that these new bad behaviors risk everyone's health, I'm moving from pro-bouncing to pro-banning. (And because I'm a thorough-going crank, I also think the off-limits computers her patrons keep fooling with despite the abundant signage should be in storage right now. Even if "storage" means piling the monitors against a wall.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:44 AM on June 19, 2020 [31 favorites]
Back in the before times, abusive patrons had no place in the library; given that these new bad behaviors risk everyone's health, I'm moving from pro-bouncing to pro-banning. (And because I'm a thorough-going crank, I also think the off-limits computers her patrons keep fooling with despite the abundant signage should be in storage right now. Even if "storage" means piling the monitors against a wall.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:44 AM on June 19, 2020 [31 favorites]
My library system just started curbside service yesterday and I go back to work in the branch on Monday.
I'm lucky, in that my branch is very small and our population of problem patrons is proportionate, but considering that we had a segment of the population get extremely angry because we stopped charging overdue fines, I am...not overly optimistic about behavior, now that we going to necessarily be adding more restrictions.
posted by darchildre at 11:51 AM on June 19, 2020 [18 favorites]
I'm lucky, in that my branch is very small and our population of problem patrons is proportionate, but considering that we had a segment of the population get extremely angry because we stopped charging overdue fines, I am...not overly optimistic about behavior, now that we going to necessarily be adding more restrictions.
posted by darchildre at 11:51 AM on June 19, 2020 [18 favorites]
We have a free museum that is mostly outdoors and operated by our all-volunteer association. In theory it is a low-traffic place, basically like a botanic garden that should be a great resource for this time. But there's no way we are going to try to enforce mask wearing and other common sense stuff. It's literally not our job. So we've been kind of struggling with this decision of when and how to open.
We're not in the US, so it is less political, but people still have varying opinions on masks, etc. It is already really hard to make the right decision even without the politics. There are no clear answers and things are changing so quickly. It is sad to deny access to resources people want, but it is even scarier to risk contributing to a pandemic. Argh!
posted by snofoam at 12:04 PM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
We're not in the US, so it is less political, but people still have varying opinions on masks, etc. It is already really hard to make the right decision even without the politics. There are no clear answers and things are changing so quickly. It is sad to deny access to resources people want, but it is even scarier to risk contributing to a pandemic. Argh!
posted by snofoam at 12:04 PM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
A note of levity from Nashville Public Library: "Curb Side, Baby" | What You Need to Know about NPL's Curbside Service.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:22 PM on June 19, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:22 PM on June 19, 2020 [6 favorites]
Unfortunately, this will not improve; it's the same problem that essential retail faced months ago as customers/patrons feel very entitled.
posted by mightshould at 12:22 PM on June 19, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by mightshould at 12:22 PM on June 19, 2020 [8 favorites]
That’s not borderline abusive; it’s abusive.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:32 PM on June 19, 2020 [24 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:32 PM on June 19, 2020 [24 favorites]
mutter... something, something... have nice things.
posted by BlueHorse at 12:33 PM on June 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by BlueHorse at 12:33 PM on June 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
I went to one of the bigger public libraries yesterday, part of the city library system because they have a great collection of graphic novels. There were hand sanitizer bottles OUTSIDE the building, again just inside the entrance, next to each checkout screen, literally everywhere I turned there was a bottle of disinfectant. The info desks had plexiglass viewscreens installed. Tables and chairs had been removed to make more room. Each library branch has had to work out the best system for them - my own neighbourhood branch removed all the computers and the desks and chairs. Take your books and go. They also blocked off a very high traffic entrance from the mall.
The point is that the library cannot open as it was but must be reconfigured to enable safer distancing and usage measures.
Yes, those computers had better be put away.
posted by Mrs Potato at 12:36 PM on June 19, 2020 [18 favorites]
The point is that the library cannot open as it was but must be reconfigured to enable safer distancing and usage measures.
Yes, those computers had better be put away.
posted by Mrs Potato at 12:36 PM on June 19, 2020 [18 favorites]
The point is that the library cannot open as it was but must be reconfigured to enable safer distancing and usage measures.
These are all good things, but how much safer is it actually? I don't think anyone knows. Sure, it's all very visible and I suppose reassuring, but how reassured should we actually be?
posted by BungaDunga at 12:42 PM on June 19, 2020 [6 favorites]
These are all good things, but how much safer is it actually? I don't think anyone knows. Sure, it's all very visible and I suppose reassuring, but how reassured should we actually be?
posted by BungaDunga at 12:42 PM on June 19, 2020 [6 favorites]
get extremely angry because we stopped charging overdue fines
Whaaaat? Unless they were upset that waiting lists for hard copy books and DVDs became a lot longer if not pointless, I don't see why anyone would care.
My main city library just reopened but I'm not going in there any time soon if I can help it. They have a good drive-thru pickup and return system so I'll keep using those. I feel bad for the librarians because there already was an issue with homeless people pretty much camping out all day. But there are also a lot of people who count on using the computers to do job searches, and a lot of people use the free internet connection. (Even more important since you can't sit in Starbucks right now.) It's a tough situation. I'm just grateful we still have libraries because I know many people think they're no longer necessary.
posted by fuse theorem at 12:43 PM on June 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
Whaaaat? Unless they were upset that waiting lists for hard copy books and DVDs became a lot longer if not pointless, I don't see why anyone would care.
My main city library just reopened but I'm not going in there any time soon if I can help it. They have a good drive-thru pickup and return system so I'll keep using those. I feel bad for the librarians because there already was an issue with homeless people pretty much camping out all day. But there are also a lot of people who count on using the computers to do job searches, and a lot of people use the free internet connection. (Even more important since you can't sit in Starbucks right now.) It's a tough situation. I'm just grateful we still have libraries because I know many people think they're no longer necessary.
posted by fuse theorem at 12:43 PM on June 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
The public health crisis is in part an effect of the public education crisis that began in the Reagan years when school budgets & curricula began to get slashed. The behavior talked about in the article is square on the shoulders of those she sought to keep the public as ignorant as possible by destroying public education. As ye reap...
It's more than that. Since the Reagan/Thatcher era there has been a sustained outright intellectual attack on goodness and community. Somewhere along the line the idea of even trying to be a decent human being got replaced with the idea that it was always an asphalt path to the underworld to have good intentions and try to do something positive. The elevation, celebration and deification of assholery is what gets us to the point where everyone who shows any kind of visibly decent behavior, like wearing a mask in a pandemic, is instantly derided as "virtue signaling" and every adult toddler believes they are a Randian ubermensch for throwing a tantrum. Basically, I think the right wing in America burnt down the notion of a responsible American community working together to achieve goals and replaced it with comically selfish individualism (like a hypertrophied muscular comic book hero) in order to win the ideological cold war and then when there were no actual boogeymen left to fight the anti-communists turned on every communal action they could find. Now we need a sense of community to fight a pandemic and.....there isn't one.
posted by srboisvert at 12:46 PM on June 19, 2020 [126 favorites]
It's more than that. Since the Reagan/Thatcher era there has been a sustained outright intellectual attack on goodness and community. Somewhere along the line the idea of even trying to be a decent human being got replaced with the idea that it was always an asphalt path to the underworld to have good intentions and try to do something positive. The elevation, celebration and deification of assholery is what gets us to the point where everyone who shows any kind of visibly decent behavior, like wearing a mask in a pandemic, is instantly derided as "virtue signaling" and every adult toddler believes they are a Randian ubermensch for throwing a tantrum. Basically, I think the right wing in America burnt down the notion of a responsible American community working together to achieve goals and replaced it with comically selfish individualism (like a hypertrophied muscular comic book hero) in order to win the ideological cold war and then when there were no actual boogeymen left to fight the anti-communists turned on every communal action they could find. Now we need a sense of community to fight a pandemic and.....there isn't one.
posted by srboisvert at 12:46 PM on June 19, 2020 [126 favorites]
These are all good things, but how much safer is it actually? I don't think anyone knows. Sure, it's all very visible and I suppose reassuring, but how reassured should we actually be?
This is difficult to answer given the wide disparity in infection rates and mortality (per capita) between the USA and Finland. We will never know.
posted by Mrs Potato at 12:46 PM on June 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
This is difficult to answer given the wide disparity in infection rates and mortality (per capita) between the USA and Finland. We will never know.
posted by Mrs Potato at 12:46 PM on June 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
Basically, I think the right wing in America burnt down the notion of a responsible American community working together to achieve goals and replaced it with comically selfish individualism (like a hypertrophied muscular comic book hero) in order to win the ideological cold war
LOL no they did it so they wouldn't have to share public spaces with Black people after the 68 CRA. We are in the state we are in because a plurality of White Americans would rather burn civic institutions to the ground than not be White supremacist.
posted by PMdixon at 12:50 PM on June 19, 2020 [67 favorites]
LOL no they did it so they wouldn't have to share public spaces with Black people after the 68 CRA. We are in the state we are in because a plurality of White Americans would rather burn civic institutions to the ground than not be White supremacist.
posted by PMdixon at 12:50 PM on June 19, 2020 [67 favorites]
As ye reap...
Nonononono, it is "As ye SOW, so shall ye reap!"
School budgets, curricula, etc.
posted by heatherlogan at 12:53 PM on June 19, 2020 [11 favorites]
Nonononono, it is "As ye SOW, so shall ye reap!"
School budgets, curricula, etc.
posted by heatherlogan at 12:53 PM on June 19, 2020 [11 favorites]
As the local area has gradually moving to Phase 2 (& will probably be there for a while), our library system has just started to open by allowing patrons to only pick up holds at one central location. They aren't even letting people in the main building, likely because patrons would wander into roped off areas. I knew that I missed physical books once we went into lockdown, but I was practically getting the shakes as I started requesting holds on the first day it was available. And I only requested one book for me, the rest (27) were beginning readers for little purr!
Anyway, I feel for these librarians- they definitely sound like they are dealing with people with "me first" attitude, and we push so many social services onto their shoulders. But I am SO GLAD TO HAVE MY LIBRARY BACK!!!!! ;_; It really seems like there should be a dedicated social services corps in all major communities to take over the responsibilities from librarians and police officers.
...and entitled people suck. oh man do they suck
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 1:02 PM on June 19, 2020 [9 favorites]
Anyway, I feel for these librarians- they definitely sound like they are dealing with people with "me first" attitude, and we push so many social services onto their shoulders. But I am SO GLAD TO HAVE MY LIBRARY BACK!!!!! ;_; It really seems like there should be a dedicated social services corps in all major communities to take over the responsibilities from librarians and police officers.
...and entitled people suck. oh man do they suck
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 1:02 PM on June 19, 2020 [9 favorites]
School budgets, curricula, etc.
Oof. I think in the parlance of today’s youth, that was a “self-own.”
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:05 PM on June 19, 2020 [5 favorites]
Oof. I think in the parlance of today’s youth, that was a “self-own.”
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:05 PM on June 19, 2020 [5 favorites]
I work in a branch library in a public system - we're all back at work, starting curbside Monday. We did much of what the linked article mentioned, and we are hopeful but not optimistic that everyone will follow the rules. Unlike the librarian in the article, we will not have a security guard, will be working a full schedule with no extra staggering. Because some people in our administration thinks the virus is "all over", I'm sure we'll be getting little if any support from them. I mean we're in New Jersey ffs. Over indeed.
It's hard because as a librarian, I want to welcome everyone. I want to help people, and talk to them if they need me. Not to mention almost everything we do is geared toward in-person help. Programs. Readers Advisory. Computer help. But I can't do that at my own expense, and the expense of my family. So it will be a learning curve for sure.
posted by lyssabee at 1:20 PM on June 19, 2020 [15 favorites]
It's hard because as a librarian, I want to welcome everyone. I want to help people, and talk to them if they need me. Not to mention almost everything we do is geared toward in-person help. Programs. Readers Advisory. Computer help. But I can't do that at my own expense, and the expense of my family. So it will be a learning curve for sure.
posted by lyssabee at 1:20 PM on June 19, 2020 [15 favorites]
I will never understand why so many library patrons have such an antagonistic attitude toward the library. It's a literal wonderland of free stuff, everyone who works there is dedicated to helping you with whatever you need, and if neither of those things does anything for you, no one is forcing you to be there anyway.
Is it a "my taxes pay for this so I'm gonna show up on the regular and be hateful because it's my right as an American" thing?
posted by Brain Sturgeon at 1:21 PM on June 19, 2020 [27 favorites]
Is it a "my taxes pay for this so I'm gonna show up on the regular and be hateful because it's my right as an American" thing?
posted by Brain Sturgeon at 1:21 PM on June 19, 2020 [27 favorites]
Brain Sturgeon, I think it's a bit of "I pay your salary, you work for ME!" attitude from some patrons. In my former life as a public librarian, I was once reamed out by an out-of-county customer who was furious that my large downtown library didn't offer free parking, even though his taxes paid my salary. 1. No they didn't -- it was largely county-level sales tax that paid for the library; 2. NOT EVEN EMPLOYEES GOT FREE PARKING.
This article is one of the few times I'm glad I'm no longer a librarian, so thanks???
posted by jabes at 1:30 PM on June 19, 2020 [12 favorites]
This article is one of the few times I'm glad I'm no longer a librarian, so thanks???
posted by jabes at 1:30 PM on June 19, 2020 [12 favorites]
get extremely angry because we stopped charging overdue fines
Whaaaat? Unless they were upset that waiting lists for hard copy books and DVDs became a lot longer if not pointless, I don't see why anyone would care.
This is just a guess, but I’m going to assume that people are angry about it for the same reason they’re against Medicare for All, or canceling student debt: people get enraged at the very idea that someone, somewhere, may be getting something they “don’t deserve,” especially when it’s something they themselves had to pay for. So I’m guessing the thinking is something like “I had to pay overdue fines for years, why don’t these people have to pay their fines too, that’s not fair to me, now everyone expects free stuff,” blahdeeblahdeeblah.
posted by holborne at 1:32 PM on June 19, 2020 [48 favorites]
Whaaaat? Unless they were upset that waiting lists for hard copy books and DVDs became a lot longer if not pointless, I don't see why anyone would care.
This is just a guess, but I’m going to assume that people are angry about it for the same reason they’re against Medicare for All, or canceling student debt: people get enraged at the very idea that someone, somewhere, may be getting something they “don’t deserve,” especially when it’s something they themselves had to pay for. So I’m guessing the thinking is something like “I had to pay overdue fines for years, why don’t these people have to pay their fines too, that’s not fair to me, now everyone expects free stuff,” blahdeeblahdeeblah.
posted by holborne at 1:32 PM on June 19, 2020 [48 favorites]
I have felt really bad for our homeless population; libraries are a place to be safe in a climate-controlled environment. A certain portion of this group is very difficult to manage for reasons of ill health of all sorts, including mental illness. Pretty much everyone I know is stressed in many ways by Pandemic, Racial Injustice/Protests, living in Trumpian Bizarroworld. That stress always comes out at some point, and librarians are as likely as other workers to be on the receiving end. The reality is that reduced staff, reduced hours, reduced occupancy = reduced service. And people often act pissy when they don't get what they want, when they want it, etc.
I love libraries, but my town library is meh. Fortunately, I have access to the Portland, ME library and they're pretty great. Maybe I'll take in bottled iced tea for both libraries; now is not the time for home-baked stuff, but they deserve such a break.
posted by theora55 at 1:33 PM on June 19, 2020 [7 favorites]
I love libraries, but my town library is meh. Fortunately, I have access to the Portland, ME library and they're pretty great. Maybe I'll take in bottled iced tea for both libraries; now is not the time for home-baked stuff, but they deserve such a break.
posted by theora55 at 1:33 PM on June 19, 2020 [7 favorites]
The Nib recently posted a comparable story by a New Orleans librarian. Horrific.
posted by cheshyre at 1:34 PM on June 19, 2020 [17 favorites]
posted by cheshyre at 1:34 PM on June 19, 2020 [17 favorites]
It sounds like the library in TFA doesn't have anywhere TO stash the computers even if the management signed off on it. The librarian mentions not having adequate room to quarantine the incoming books away from staff areas.
A contributing factor to the attitude of patrons is that libraries have become de facto shelters for the homeless, mentally ill, and homeless mentally ill. Even those without mental health issues may be struggling with so many other problems that manners aren't their highest priority at the moment.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:35 PM on June 19, 2020 [7 favorites]
A contributing factor to the attitude of patrons is that libraries have become de facto shelters for the homeless, mentally ill, and homeless mentally ill. Even those without mental health issues may be struggling with so many other problems that manners aren't their highest priority at the moment.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:35 PM on June 19, 2020 [7 favorites]
My library (non-public) is doing what you could call "take-out" business only; as the library educator, I am strongly gearing my orientations for the annual crop of medical residents and other students at my hospital's educational programs toward their using our online databases and forms for requesting services, instead of just coming in and browsing the collection physically. Instead of trying to remove half the chairs (I'm not sure where we'd store them) or masking them off with tape, we're just saying, sorry, no staying, period. And most of them get it, because we're in a medical facility, although there is still some grumbling; especially with some of the older personnel, they're like, well, it should be OK if it's just me.
I will never understand why so many library patrons have such an antagonistic attitude toward the library.
Because we're the ones within reach. That asshole in the article who was going around ripping up the floor stickers? Let him try that in a government building, or even the local supermarket. They'd get his shit sorted out toot sweet.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:38 PM on June 19, 2020 [16 favorites]
I will never understand why so many library patrons have such an antagonistic attitude toward the library.
Because we're the ones within reach. That asshole in the article who was going around ripping up the floor stickers? Let him try that in a government building, or even the local supermarket. They'd get his shit sorted out toot sweet.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:38 PM on June 19, 2020 [16 favorites]
extremely angry because we stopped charging overdue fines. My redneck little town is having what is described as a peaceful protest in support of Black Lives Matter. 2 college students planned it, and I couldn't be prouder that they did this. The facebook community page is so full of racism, hate, triviality, racism, belligerence, and dreck. And a huge amount of anger that town residents can park in the large, currently not in use, high school parking lot and then march half a mile to the police station.
Wait til they learn Antifa's coming and being put up at Town Hall, fed by the town food pantry, and getting the Key to the Town! (kidding, but so tempted to post this from a fake account just for the head asplosions). People often hate when anything okay or maybe even nice happens to others. When nice things happen to me, it's because I deserve it. When nice things happen to you, it's a travesty of justice.
posted by theora55 at 1:40 PM on June 19, 2020 [13 favorites]
Wait til they learn Antifa's coming and being put up at Town Hall, fed by the town food pantry, and getting the Key to the Town! (kidding, but so tempted to post this from a fake account just for the head asplosions). People often hate when anything okay or maybe even nice happens to others. When nice things happen to me, it's because I deserve it. When nice things happen to you, it's a travesty of justice.
posted by theora55 at 1:40 PM on June 19, 2020 [13 favorites]
People whose mental illnesses involve paranoid or psychotic symptoms are particularly prone to believe in conspiracy theories in general, including that COVID-19 is a hoax, and surely that must be a factor in some of the more bizarre behavior the author describes.
The cause of the behavior of course doesn't matter at all as far as a safe working environment goes, but I think it's worth considering that there could be other causes besides entitlement and spite.
posted by vogon_poet at 2:06 PM on June 19, 2020 [7 favorites]
The cause of the behavior of course doesn't matter at all as far as a safe working environment goes, but I think it's worth considering that there could be other causes besides entitlement and spite.
posted by vogon_poet at 2:06 PM on June 19, 2020 [7 favorites]
OMG THAT "Curb Side, Baby" video. OMG. Puppets. OMG.
These are all good things, but how much safer is it actually? I don't think anyone knows. Sure, it's all very visible and I suppose reassuring, but how reassured should we actually be?
Yeah, that's how I feel about anything and everything these days. It seems like no matter what precautions you do, you still have to breathe air around humans even if you disinfect yourself every 15 seconds.
I will never understand why so many library patrons have such an antagonistic attitude toward the library.
It's the same attitude about everything in a service industry. You get a sense of power and control by abusing the employees who can't talk back to what you said or else they will get fired.
Now that I've made the comments I was going to reply to.... I read this whole thread and thought, "Oh dear god, I am never going into the library again." Not that I was likely to because of the agoraphobia, mind you. Mine hasn't opened up yet, they are just starting curbside service and they asked to have all their books back by July 15 (sigh), which means I will have to drop them off at least. But after reading this, I thought oh god, I am not going to abuse the poor library staff by actually using their services. I just can't be another public asshole they have to deal with right now. Libraries should not be open to the public now, period, from this.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:57 PM on June 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
These are all good things, but how much safer is it actually? I don't think anyone knows. Sure, it's all very visible and I suppose reassuring, but how reassured should we actually be?
Yeah, that's how I feel about anything and everything these days. It seems like no matter what precautions you do, you still have to breathe air around humans even if you disinfect yourself every 15 seconds.
I will never understand why so many library patrons have such an antagonistic attitude toward the library.
It's the same attitude about everything in a service industry. You get a sense of power and control by abusing the employees who can't talk back to what you said or else they will get fired.
Now that I've made the comments I was going to reply to.... I read this whole thread and thought, "Oh dear god, I am never going into the library again." Not that I was likely to because of the agoraphobia, mind you. Mine hasn't opened up yet, they are just starting curbside service and they asked to have all their books back by July 15 (sigh), which means I will have to drop them off at least. But after reading this, I thought oh god, I am not going to abuse the poor library staff by actually using their services. I just can't be another public asshole they have to deal with right now. Libraries should not be open to the public now, period, from this.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:57 PM on June 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
I work in a public library in the U.S., where the cases are spiking, in a state, county, and city where the cases are all spiking. We closed and worked from home for two months, we've been back in the building but not open to the public for about six weeks, doing curbside service only for about two weeks, and we're planning to open to the public in two weeks. And I can't wrap my head around it. It reminds me of watching Chernobyl, being so utterly horrified watching the bureaucrats in their dogmatic denial, then horrified further by the corruption, ineptitude, and indifference to individual suffering which became apparent in various levels of government. The difference, though, is that the Soviet government's eventual response was intended to prevent a much larger catastrophe that would affect an order of magnitude more people, but what our federal government is doing now is just due to indifference or boredom or Trump's greed, idiocy, and malignant narcissism.
There's no greater good to be served in opening to the public right now. It's such a basic tenet of public service that it's literally never mentioned in training, but Step 1 of public service is "don't kill anyone." Most people don't want to be killed, so if you kill someone you have failed at public service.
Downtown I've seen that literally 90% of the people don't wear masks or practice social distancing. So we're going to open up to a public which has already demonstrated its refusal to cooperate with required safety measures, exacerbating the public health crisis and endangering countless lives. And what will be the result? The people hit hardest by coronavirus are people of color.
Our library put up all these displays and booklists online celebrating #BlackLivesMatter. But the people railing against us for being closed are (let's be frank here; we know who they are--both in general and in these particular cases) cishet white middle class people, mostly men.
The conclusion I keep coming back to is that libraries are (now, finally) willing to pay lip service to Black Lives Matter but that, when you get right down to, libraries don't believe that black lives matter as much as avoiding white complaints.
posted by johnofjack at 3:12 PM on June 19, 2020 [34 favorites]
There's no greater good to be served in opening to the public right now. It's such a basic tenet of public service that it's literally never mentioned in training, but Step 1 of public service is "don't kill anyone." Most people don't want to be killed, so if you kill someone you have failed at public service.
Downtown I've seen that literally 90% of the people don't wear masks or practice social distancing. So we're going to open up to a public which has already demonstrated its refusal to cooperate with required safety measures, exacerbating the public health crisis and endangering countless lives. And what will be the result? The people hit hardest by coronavirus are people of color.
Our library put up all these displays and booklists online celebrating #BlackLivesMatter. But the people railing against us for being closed are (let's be frank here; we know who they are--both in general and in these particular cases) cishet white middle class people, mostly men.
The conclusion I keep coming back to is that libraries are (now, finally) willing to pay lip service to Black Lives Matter but that, when you get right down to, libraries don't believe that black lives matter as much as avoiding white complaints.
posted by johnofjack at 3:12 PM on June 19, 2020 [34 favorites]
TFA: what a story.
The conspiracy angle is strong there, from the sticker-ripper to those fearing hand san. would poison them.
posted by doctornemo at 3:24 PM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
The conspiracy angle is strong there, from the sticker-ripper to those fearing hand san. would poison them.
posted by doctornemo at 3:24 PM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Our local public libraries shut down in March.
They opened this week for curbside pickup. The way this works is that patrons reserve books (and other materials, I think) online for the catalog. Staff grab the books and set them aside in labeled bags, then email the patron to give them a 48 hour window to pick them up from tables in the lobby.
I did this yesterday. Librarians were busy reorganizing the lobby, so one of their number ran interference between that space and the parking lot, hauling out book bags on a trolley on demand.
posted by doctornemo at 3:38 PM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
They opened this week for curbside pickup. The way this works is that patrons reserve books (and other materials, I think) online for the catalog. Staff grab the books and set them aside in labeled bags, then email the patron to give them a 48 hour window to pick them up from tables in the lobby.
I did this yesterday. Librarians were busy reorganizing the lobby, so one of their number ran interference between that space and the parking lot, hauling out book bags on a trolley on demand.
posted by doctornemo at 3:38 PM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
I hope I'm not the only (soon to be unemployed) library worker searching worriedly through this thread for references to my own library system. We shut down completely halfway through March, just a tiny bit ahead of the rest of the city, and are gradually expanding curbside service but with no current plans to let patrons back into the buildings. The way the twitter thread describes patron behaviors makes me even gladder this is the case... the library system has had to terminate scores of employees in response to projected decreased revenue, so we wouldn't have the staffing power to monitor patrons behaving in all those ways even without distancing requirements to worry about.
Digital content and programming is booming, though!
posted by one for the books at 3:45 PM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
Digital content and programming is booming, though!
posted by one for the books at 3:45 PM on June 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
All the public library systems around me are closed, including the one where I work. I'm a floating sub, so I was straight-up laid off. The other librarians are working from home and are now getting back into buildings for curbside service.
So, I live in a different geographical library system from the one I work in (by just two blocks, folks!) but I never used my "local" library because...well, I was AT my work library every day so it just made sense to get my stuff there. Over the last three months it's been fascinating to see the differences between the two systems level of service. Add in other nearby systems because my card is reciprocal with several other systems (librarian magic) and I've been driving all over town to get stuff from different library systems now that there's curbside pickup. One thing they all have in common: it's clear that everyone's just flying by the seat of their pants and nobody really knows what they're doing.
The heads of every system seem to all be locked in identical meeting rooms with identical white boards and lists of services, each trying to figure out what to do. One system has curbside, the other doesn't. One has holds pickup during all normal hours, others have specific hours. One will only pull a book for you if it is at the branch where you will be picking up (no inter-branch delivery), the others will bring in books from other branches. One has normal due dates (!!!), another gives patrons a month, one has NO due dates at all.* One is talking about reopening soon-ish, the admins of another are fumbling around so haphazardly I can't believe that they're even managing to have functioning curbside service.
From my friend librarians: Admin WANTS the libraries to reopen but the staff is nervous. We're like the library staff in TFA above. We KNOW what the Board Books look like at the end of baby storytime. We KNOW which patrons get a "special chair" (no fabric seat or back) because they have a problem with lice but need to use the computer. We KNOW that a large part of our clientele are elderly. We KNOW that we have patrons who are experiencing homelessness and this is the only comfortable indoor, air conditioned place where they can Just Be without being hassled or required to make a purchase to 'give them the right to be there'. It's a microcosm of vulnerability and I really don't know how it's going to go.
I can't wade too into the weeds here but the New Orleans library staff story linked by Cheshyre above? Yeah, we can relate to some of the, uh, legal stuff regarding ADA, taking PTO to cover quarantine due to exposure, etc. It's been a hot mess in a scary time and there are no easy answers coming down the line.
* the one with no due dates is the system at which I work. I went in for my scheduled sub shift the first day that the libraries were shut down, and as the day went on I kind of saw which way the wind was blowing...I was going to be sent home and all of my upcoming shifts would be cancelled. So I called up Herr Duck and said "You need to get on XX Library's catalog right now and send me a list of every book, every movie you want for the forseeable future." I got some grocery bags someone left in back and started checking items out. Friends, I checked out two grocery bags full of DVDs and books. I knew it was the last time I'd be in there for a while so I packed those bags full. 50 items with no due date has made quarantine much more pleasant than it would have been otherwise.
posted by Gray Duck at 3:56 PM on June 19, 2020 [23 favorites]
So, I live in a different geographical library system from the one I work in (by just two blocks, folks!) but I never used my "local" library because...well, I was AT my work library every day so it just made sense to get my stuff there. Over the last three months it's been fascinating to see the differences between the two systems level of service. Add in other nearby systems because my card is reciprocal with several other systems (librarian magic) and I've been driving all over town to get stuff from different library systems now that there's curbside pickup. One thing they all have in common: it's clear that everyone's just flying by the seat of their pants and nobody really knows what they're doing.
The heads of every system seem to all be locked in identical meeting rooms with identical white boards and lists of services, each trying to figure out what to do. One system has curbside, the other doesn't. One has holds pickup during all normal hours, others have specific hours. One will only pull a book for you if it is at the branch where you will be picking up (no inter-branch delivery), the others will bring in books from other branches. One has normal due dates (!!!), another gives patrons a month, one has NO due dates at all.* One is talking about reopening soon-ish, the admins of another are fumbling around so haphazardly I can't believe that they're even managing to have functioning curbside service.
From my friend librarians: Admin WANTS the libraries to reopen but the staff is nervous. We're like the library staff in TFA above. We KNOW what the Board Books look like at the end of baby storytime. We KNOW which patrons get a "special chair" (no fabric seat or back) because they have a problem with lice but need to use the computer. We KNOW that a large part of our clientele are elderly. We KNOW that we have patrons who are experiencing homelessness and this is the only comfortable indoor, air conditioned place where they can Just Be without being hassled or required to make a purchase to 'give them the right to be there'. It's a microcosm of vulnerability and I really don't know how it's going to go.
I can't wade too into the weeds here but the New Orleans library staff story linked by Cheshyre above? Yeah, we can relate to some of the, uh, legal stuff regarding ADA, taking PTO to cover quarantine due to exposure, etc. It's been a hot mess in a scary time and there are no easy answers coming down the line.
* the one with no due dates is the system at which I work. I went in for my scheduled sub shift the first day that the libraries were shut down, and as the day went on I kind of saw which way the wind was blowing...I was going to be sent home and all of my upcoming shifts would be cancelled. So I called up Herr Duck and said "You need to get on XX Library's catalog right now and send me a list of every book, every movie you want for the forseeable future." I got some grocery bags someone left in back and started checking items out. Friends, I checked out two grocery bags full of DVDs and books. I knew it was the last time I'd be in there for a while so I packed those bags full. 50 items with no due date has made quarantine much more pleasant than it would have been otherwise.
posted by Gray Duck at 3:56 PM on June 19, 2020 [23 favorites]
Heh. This was the first week I've been back at the library since the closure. I won't be back again for a few weeks as we are on a rotating every three week cohort system (put in place because the Town wanted to spray down the library over the weekend with, it turns out, a spray that damages paper to say nothing of our staff with various breathing issues.)
I'm the head of access/circulation, so have had a big hand in what we will look like when we reopen. So far, here's some stuff I've done:
1) Suspended All Holds and Cleared the Holds Shelf. If you still want that copy of Joker, you can have it, but you need to contact us to let us know you want it. We are starting from a clean slate of requests when we open for pick up. A librarian friend today told me of it taking her 8 hours to check in a cart of books due to holds popping and the chaos that followed - at one point she was the fifth librarian to call a patron over an item being available that day.
2) Removed the words 'curb-side' from the library's vocabulary. We have two phone lines - trying to deal with people calling for library status info, people calling for requests, and people calling for reference questions will already push us to the limit. Folks calling to bring stuff out to the car? Breaking point.
3) If you want something, you have to call or email us. The app and online system is great, but there is no way of knowing if you have more stuff on the way without doing a bunch of research. Given that we're down to 1/3 staff, that's a lot of logistical work to try to figure that out. You won't even be able to do this until July at best, by the way.
4) Allow returns only starting next week during limited hours. Every returned item sits in quarantine for a week, so we want to limit staff exposure as much as possible. Patrons will place stuff on a giant cart that can be wheeled inside when collection time is over. This thing is huge and two sided, so can be spun around when one side is full.
5) We will not be walking stuff to people's cars. Opening the door is a risk! Last fall, we had a sprinkler burst and even though there was a firetruck parked in front, tape up, water flowing out the door, and an alarm going off, people tried to come in. If the door is unlocked, they will try (even if it's just propped open as we've learned from emptying the bookdrops an hour and a half before opening).
Additional anecdotes:
The first day we were back in the building, the director had to flee from a patron who, unmasked and shoeless, wanted to express her opinions on how the Governor shut things down too early (!) and this whole thing is overblown right before transitioning into a complaint about BLM protesters spreading the, uh, overblown virus? The only way out was for him to leap into our outreach van, hope it started, and drive off. It was like a zombie movie. Every library has multiple patrons like this - ask your friendly librarian and they will recite the names that have been etched into their brains like fire.
I got in trouble with our network because I checked in everything returned after library closure but pre-bookdrop closure after turning on the 'Suppress Holds/Transits' button. This means that items would not go on Hold for patrons (which they could see from their library account even if we shut off notifications), but also they would not get In Transit statuses that mean they are moving between libraries (if/when delivery pickups happen). So according to the catalog, these items show up as being ready to be reshelved at home rather than in a bin. Given that there is no easy way to know the status of an item until you check it in, I was not ready to risk populating the holds shelf (thus summoning patrons to a closed building) in favor of shelf accuracy at a different library. If they go to look for the thing, they will not find it, mark it Missing, and when it shows up in a delivery bin and is checked in, boom, it is back. The fact that Holds and Transits are the same button strikes me as a failing on the network's part, but it's to be expected as they are a bunch of technocrats who never deal with the public. So now we will not check in anything belonging to another library and will just put it in the transit bin. 'Technically Correct' is not something I'm willing to deal with right now.
It's all a giant mess with different libraries moving at different rates with different service. My library is in a hard hit COVID community due to the local retirement/nursing homes, so we have the justification to take it slow and despite not really understanding how libraries work, the town has been super supportive.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:15 PM on June 19, 2020 [20 favorites]
I'm the head of access/circulation, so have had a big hand in what we will look like when we reopen. So far, here's some stuff I've done:
1) Suspended All Holds and Cleared the Holds Shelf. If you still want that copy of Joker, you can have it, but you need to contact us to let us know you want it. We are starting from a clean slate of requests when we open for pick up. A librarian friend today told me of it taking her 8 hours to check in a cart of books due to holds popping and the chaos that followed - at one point she was the fifth librarian to call a patron over an item being available that day.
2) Removed the words 'curb-side' from the library's vocabulary. We have two phone lines - trying to deal with people calling for library status info, people calling for requests, and people calling for reference questions will already push us to the limit. Folks calling to bring stuff out to the car? Breaking point.
3) If you want something, you have to call or email us. The app and online system is great, but there is no way of knowing if you have more stuff on the way without doing a bunch of research. Given that we're down to 1/3 staff, that's a lot of logistical work to try to figure that out. You won't even be able to do this until July at best, by the way.
4) Allow returns only starting next week during limited hours. Every returned item sits in quarantine for a week, so we want to limit staff exposure as much as possible. Patrons will place stuff on a giant cart that can be wheeled inside when collection time is over. This thing is huge and two sided, so can be spun around when one side is full.
5) We will not be walking stuff to people's cars. Opening the door is a risk! Last fall, we had a sprinkler burst and even though there was a firetruck parked in front, tape up, water flowing out the door, and an alarm going off, people tried to come in. If the door is unlocked, they will try (even if it's just propped open as we've learned from emptying the bookdrops an hour and a half before opening).
Additional anecdotes:
The first day we were back in the building, the director had to flee from a patron who, unmasked and shoeless, wanted to express her opinions on how the Governor shut things down too early (!) and this whole thing is overblown right before transitioning into a complaint about BLM protesters spreading the, uh, overblown virus? The only way out was for him to leap into our outreach van, hope it started, and drive off. It was like a zombie movie. Every library has multiple patrons like this - ask your friendly librarian and they will recite the names that have been etched into their brains like fire.
I got in trouble with our network because I checked in everything returned after library closure but pre-bookdrop closure after turning on the 'Suppress Holds/Transits' button. This means that items would not go on Hold for patrons (which they could see from their library account even if we shut off notifications), but also they would not get In Transit statuses that mean they are moving between libraries (if/when delivery pickups happen). So according to the catalog, these items show up as being ready to be reshelved at home rather than in a bin. Given that there is no easy way to know the status of an item until you check it in, I was not ready to risk populating the holds shelf (thus summoning patrons to a closed building) in favor of shelf accuracy at a different library. If they go to look for the thing, they will not find it, mark it Missing, and when it shows up in a delivery bin and is checked in, boom, it is back. The fact that Holds and Transits are the same button strikes me as a failing on the network's part, but it's to be expected as they are a bunch of technocrats who never deal with the public. So now we will not check in anything belonging to another library and will just put it in the transit bin. 'Technically Correct' is not something I'm willing to deal with right now.
It's all a giant mess with different libraries moving at different rates with different service. My library is in a hard hit COVID community due to the local retirement/nursing homes, so we have the justification to take it slow and despite not really understanding how libraries work, the town has been super supportive.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:15 PM on June 19, 2020 [20 favorites]
So I’m guessing the thinking is something like “I had to pay overdue fines for years, why don’t these people have to pay their fines too, that’s not fair to me, now everyone expects free stuff,” blahdeeblahdeeblah.
In my city, there was a heavy paternalistic argument against fine elimination, that library fines were needed in order to teach people how to be responsible.
This in no way lined up with the experience on the ground, however -- the ones most likely to pay their fines were those patrons who lived in the more challenged parts of town. The well-off patrons were much more likely to challenge fines to get a reduction. Fine forgiveness was benefitting exactly the opposite set of people it was intended to.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:18 PM on June 19, 2020 [11 favorites]
In my city, there was a heavy paternalistic argument against fine elimination, that library fines were needed in order to teach people how to be responsible.
This in no way lined up with the experience on the ground, however -- the ones most likely to pay their fines were those patrons who lived in the more challenged parts of town. The well-off patrons were much more likely to challenge fines to get a reduction. Fine forgiveness was benefitting exactly the opposite set of people it was intended to.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:18 PM on June 19, 2020 [11 favorites]
I am a trustee of my town library. I love the library and am delighted to serve them.
Our library's director is, I think, proceeding prudently. Our small state has a consensus plan for restoring services, and I believe it is going well. Next week is the monthly board meeting and I will ask their feelings.
As a patron I am delighted to be able to pick up a bag of books and movies again. My kids are glad the Summer Reading Program is running like it did in previous years.
Yet if the director says she needs to curtail services to protect her staff, I will happily answer the phones or sit by the door and tell my neighbors to go home. :7) We need these places and people around for the long haul, and a temporary loss of access is better than permanent!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:41 PM on June 19, 2020 [7 favorites]
Our library's director is, I think, proceeding prudently. Our small state has a consensus plan for restoring services, and I believe it is going well. Next week is the monthly board meeting and I will ask their feelings.
As a patron I am delighted to be able to pick up a bag of books and movies again. My kids are glad the Summer Reading Program is running like it did in previous years.
Yet if the director says she needs to curtail services to protect her staff, I will happily answer the phones or sit by the door and tell my neighbors to go home. :7) We need these places and people around for the long haul, and a temporary loss of access is better than permanent!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:41 PM on June 19, 2020 [7 favorites]
get extremely angry because we stopped charging overdue fines
Whaaaat? Unless they were upset that waiting lists for hard copy books and DVDs became a lot longer if not pointless, I don't see why anyone would care.
Because there are RULES, and only bad people break the rules, and bad people must be punished!
posted by tumbling at 11:13 PM on June 19, 2020 [8 favorites]
Whaaaat? Unless they were upset that waiting lists for hard copy books and DVDs became a lot longer if not pointless, I don't see why anyone would care.
Because there are RULES, and only bad people break the rules, and bad people must be punished!
posted by tumbling at 11:13 PM on June 19, 2020 [8 favorites]
The library I work in is reopening on Monday, the government here in Ireland originally had our reopen date as 29th June, but they are speeding things up as the R number is very low, around 0.4 I think.
But the government have finally started to recommend wearing masks in public spaces but the local authorities are sticking to the guidelines that say masks are NOT needed and so they won't be providing them to staff.
Before the shutdown we had 12 public access PCs in my branch, we've moved most out of the public view and left 4 in situ. We've spreadout study desks and are limiting that to 8 people. We'll be having a max people in the building and operating a one out one in system.
I am hoping that all goes well, I would prefer if guidance from local govt was clearer and if the Taoiseach wasn't hurrying things up so he can say Ireland reopened under his leadership ( he is due to be replaced, on the 25th). Up until Friday we were working off a guideline that said returned books were to be quarantined for 3 days. That is totally gone now, we just have to put up signs informing people not to return books if they've had a cough/fever/Covid symptoms.
And all our staff are back, operating on usual hours from Monday. We're just hoping a second wave doesn't hit us. SO far I think Ireland has managed it okay, there were some mistakes, but the shutdown from March 13th did work.
posted by Fence at 4:04 AM on June 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
But the government have finally started to recommend wearing masks in public spaces but the local authorities are sticking to the guidelines that say masks are NOT needed and so they won't be providing them to staff.
Before the shutdown we had 12 public access PCs in my branch, we've moved most out of the public view and left 4 in situ. We've spreadout study desks and are limiting that to 8 people. We'll be having a max people in the building and operating a one out one in system.
I am hoping that all goes well, I would prefer if guidance from local govt was clearer and if the Taoiseach wasn't hurrying things up so he can say Ireland reopened under his leadership ( he is due to be replaced, on the 25th). Up until Friday we were working off a guideline that said returned books were to be quarantined for 3 days. That is totally gone now, we just have to put up signs informing people not to return books if they've had a cough/fever/Covid symptoms.
And all our staff are back, operating on usual hours from Monday. We're just hoping a second wave doesn't hit us. SO far I think Ireland has managed it okay, there were some mistakes, but the shutdown from March 13th did work.
posted by Fence at 4:04 AM on June 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
> Maybe things would be less overwhelming if staff weren't in a state of constantly trying and failing to prevent patron misbehavior, but they are.
I'm a public librarian, and that thread confirmed all of my worst fears about what library work might be like after re-opening. My system has been closed to the public since mid-March but began curbside pick-up and drop-off a couple of weeks ago. I work at a reference library, though, so I'm still off and there's no indication as to when my building and/or department might re-open.
The above quote was already true *before* the pandemic; back in February there was a thread about librarian burnout that I didn't take part in because I was taking a break from Metafilter, but if I had I would have said that a few years ago I made a conscious decision to work towards a position in the library which involved a greatly reduced public-facing role because I was just so very tired of it all. Problem patrons and "incidents" are always going to be part of the job, but what really ground me down in the end was the lack of support from management when they occurred. In all but the very worst cases (i.e. hands-on violence, generally), management tended to minimize harassment and mistreatment of staff and other patrons and sometimes even reacted to the filing of incident reports with an adversarial attitude. I and my co-workers have been gaslit by managers who told us the incidents (often involving racist and/or misogynist harassment) weren't that big a deal, that perhaps we weren't remembering them correctly, that we hadn't filled out the incident reports correctly or fast enough, that we were submitting too many incident reports, etc.. The bottom line is that most (not all) managers *do not want to know* about anything negative happening in the branches because it requires them to address the issue and make decisions which may prove controversial, especially in cases of repeat offenders who have learned how to weaponize the library's rules of conduct and/or the city's complaint system back against us; there were a few cases of patrons who were effectively above the law, so to speak, because library management was so terrified of their ability to create negative publicity and/or bureaucratic headaches. I also suspect but cannot prove that managers have a professional interest in keeping the number of official incident reports low because it looks good on their quarterly reports or whatever.
Anyway, this is to say that when I consider all of this and then factor in the inherent health hazard that will come with working indoors with the public during a pandemic - which will make every Incident a potentially very serious one - it makes me very despondent about the future of my profession and public libraries in general. I work for a relatively well-funded system and even we were constantly scrambling for enough money before the pandemic; when the city takes an inevitable financial hit at some point it will be a perfect opportunity for the politicians who always wanted to close down branches and lay off staff to do so. Our Mayor (who is the sort of politician who gets huffy at the suggestion of reducing the police budget by even one dollar) is already musing publicly about having to close 30-40% of the system unless the city gets money from the feds, and every municipality in Canada is probably in the same boat. My union recently re-negotiated a new contract which was unexpectedly not bad (status quo, for the most part), and I was pleasantly surprised until one of my co-workers pointed out that the city is probably assuming that a large percentage of the workforce will be laid off and won't need to be paid anyway.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:47 AM on June 20, 2020 [14 favorites]
I'm a public librarian, and that thread confirmed all of my worst fears about what library work might be like after re-opening. My system has been closed to the public since mid-March but began curbside pick-up and drop-off a couple of weeks ago. I work at a reference library, though, so I'm still off and there's no indication as to when my building and/or department might re-open.
The above quote was already true *before* the pandemic; back in February there was a thread about librarian burnout that I didn't take part in because I was taking a break from Metafilter, but if I had I would have said that a few years ago I made a conscious decision to work towards a position in the library which involved a greatly reduced public-facing role because I was just so very tired of it all. Problem patrons and "incidents" are always going to be part of the job, but what really ground me down in the end was the lack of support from management when they occurred. In all but the very worst cases (i.e. hands-on violence, generally), management tended to minimize harassment and mistreatment of staff and other patrons and sometimes even reacted to the filing of incident reports with an adversarial attitude. I and my co-workers have been gaslit by managers who told us the incidents (often involving racist and/or misogynist harassment) weren't that big a deal, that perhaps we weren't remembering them correctly, that we hadn't filled out the incident reports correctly or fast enough, that we were submitting too many incident reports, etc.. The bottom line is that most (not all) managers *do not want to know* about anything negative happening in the branches because it requires them to address the issue and make decisions which may prove controversial, especially in cases of repeat offenders who have learned how to weaponize the library's rules of conduct and/or the city's complaint system back against us; there were a few cases of patrons who were effectively above the law, so to speak, because library management was so terrified of their ability to create negative publicity and/or bureaucratic headaches. I also suspect but cannot prove that managers have a professional interest in keeping the number of official incident reports low because it looks good on their quarterly reports or whatever.
Anyway, this is to say that when I consider all of this and then factor in the inherent health hazard that will come with working indoors with the public during a pandemic - which will make every Incident a potentially very serious one - it makes me very despondent about the future of my profession and public libraries in general. I work for a relatively well-funded system and even we were constantly scrambling for enough money before the pandemic; when the city takes an inevitable financial hit at some point it will be a perfect opportunity for the politicians who always wanted to close down branches and lay off staff to do so. Our Mayor (who is the sort of politician who gets huffy at the suggestion of reducing the police budget by even one dollar) is already musing publicly about having to close 30-40% of the system unless the city gets money from the feds, and every municipality in Canada is probably in the same boat. My union recently re-negotiated a new contract which was unexpectedly not bad (status quo, for the most part), and I was pleasantly surprised until one of my co-workers pointed out that the city is probably assuming that a large percentage of the workforce will be laid off and won't need to be paid anyway.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:47 AM on June 20, 2020 [14 favorites]
I feel bad for the librarians because there already was an issue with homeless people pretty much camping out all day.
Where else can they go? The library is warm in winter, cool in summer. It's safe (well, before COVID). There are comfy chairs and places to sit. It's one of the few places where everyone is welcome.
posted by daybeforetheday at 7:10 AM on June 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Where else can they go? The library is warm in winter, cool in summer. It's safe (well, before COVID). There are comfy chairs and places to sit. It's one of the few places where everyone is welcome.
posted by daybeforetheday at 7:10 AM on June 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Where else can they go? The library is warm in winter, cool in summer. It's safe (well, before COVID). There are comfy chairs and places to sit. It's one of the few places where everyone is welcome.
The problem is that libraries are bad adult care centres for homeless people, especially those with mental issues or substance abuse problems. Librarians aren't social workers or health care providers; they don't do a good job of that work, and doing that work prevents them from doing the work they're trained for.
Ironically, this approach means you get bad libraries AND lousy shelters, all in one. Now with Covid-19!
posted by jrochest at 9:04 AM on June 20, 2020 [11 favorites]
The problem is that libraries are bad adult care centres for homeless people, especially those with mental issues or substance abuse problems. Librarians aren't social workers or health care providers; they don't do a good job of that work, and doing that work prevents them from doing the work they're trained for.
Ironically, this approach means you get bad libraries AND lousy shelters, all in one. Now with Covid-19!
posted by jrochest at 9:04 AM on June 20, 2020 [11 favorites]
Re: homeless people: for the record, the author elaborates in follow-up tweets (e.g. here and here) that the library's homeless patrons have mostly been following the rules and not causing any trouble. They are not the individuals described in this thread.
Re: fines -- an academic study into the effect of fining parents for arriving late to pick up their children from daycare found that the introduction of fines led to an increase in lateness because parents felt that the fine was a form of compensation that made it more OK for them to be late. I wouldn't be surprised if library fines had a similar effect.
posted by confluency at 9:29 AM on June 20, 2020 [8 favorites]
Re: fines -- an academic study into the effect of fining parents for arriving late to pick up their children from daycare found that the introduction of fines led to an increase in lateness because parents felt that the fine was a form of compensation that made it more OK for them to be late. I wouldn't be surprised if library fines had a similar effect.
posted by confluency at 9:29 AM on June 20, 2020 [8 favorites]
... because parents felt that the fine was a form of compensation that made it more OK for them to be late.
Yes, privileged folks see fines as fees - just the cost of doing whatever it is you want to do. Like a speeding ticket.
posted by jammy at 12:52 PM on June 20, 2020 [4 favorites]
Yes, privileged folks see fines as fees - just the cost of doing whatever it is you want to do. Like a speeding ticket.
posted by jammy at 12:52 PM on June 20, 2020 [4 favorites]
This in no way lined up with the experience on the ground, however -- the ones most likely to pay their fines were those patrons who lived in the more challenged parts of town. The well-off patrons were much more likely to challenge fines to get a reduction. Fine forgiveness was benefitting exactly the opposite set of people it was intended to.
I am incredibly grateful to some larger libraries (hello, I mentioned this thread on the podcast and vowed to go back and read it) who did some actual research into library fines and what happened when they removed them (usually? Usage went way up and overdue issues didn't really get worse, revenue took a small dip, ah well, can't keep making money off of your poorest patrons) so that other smaller libraries can say "Hey we should do this because these larger systems did and it works. In most cases they still will charge for lost books but like... it's actually healthier for libraries in some ways to store some of those books in other people's homes. If you know where they are, and if you can put them on hold via the ILS, why not keep them "off-site"?
My library has been doing "curbside" this whole time but in a very safe way that has been gratifying. They are re-opening for very short browsing (one person at a time on each level and people can make tech appointments) and, again, I think it's going to be okay. Our State Librarian has really been trying to be out in front of some of this stuff and I think having sane sensible leadership can really help here. In Massachusetts we're seeing huge layoffs and staff being all fired outright as budgets get clawed back and it's a huge mess. There are some great angry librarians trying hard to push back on this and I wish them the best and amplify as I can.
posted by jessamyn at 3:45 PM on July 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
I am incredibly grateful to some larger libraries (hello, I mentioned this thread on the podcast and vowed to go back and read it) who did some actual research into library fines and what happened when they removed them (usually? Usage went way up and overdue issues didn't really get worse, revenue took a small dip, ah well, can't keep making money off of your poorest patrons) so that other smaller libraries can say "Hey we should do this because these larger systems did and it works. In most cases they still will charge for lost books but like... it's actually healthier for libraries in some ways to store some of those books in other people's homes. If you know where they are, and if you can put them on hold via the ILS, why not keep them "off-site"?
My library has been doing "curbside" this whole time but in a very safe way that has been gratifying. They are re-opening for very short browsing (one person at a time on each level and people can make tech appointments) and, again, I think it's going to be okay. Our State Librarian has really been trying to be out in front of some of this stuff and I think having sane sensible leadership can really help here. In Massachusetts we're seeing huge layoffs and staff being all fired outright as budgets get clawed back and it's a huge mess. There are some great angry librarians trying hard to push back on this and I wish them the best and amplify as I can.
posted by jessamyn at 3:45 PM on July 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
Like a speeding ticket.
This is why I've always liked the Finnish/Swiss approach of making fines be a percentage of annual income -- and thus Anders Wiklof got a $130,000 fine back in 2013, and then another $71,000 ticket a little while later. There are a number of other gratifying tales from this side of fines (up to a million dollar monster fine applied in Switzerland), which make for reassuring reading in this day & age.
posted by aramaic at 4:17 PM on July 3, 2020 [4 favorites]
This is why I've always liked the Finnish/Swiss approach of making fines be a percentage of annual income -- and thus Anders Wiklof got a $130,000 fine back in 2013, and then another $71,000 ticket a little while later. There are a number of other gratifying tales from this side of fines (up to a million dollar monster fine applied in Switzerland), which make for reassuring reading in this day & age.
posted by aramaic at 4:17 PM on July 3, 2020 [4 favorites]
...making fines be a percentage of annual income...
When a country actually has the guts to do this, it highlights how absurd it is to do it any other way.
posted by confluency at 2:08 AM on July 6, 2020
When a country actually has the guts to do this, it highlights how absurd it is to do it any other way.
posted by confluency at 2:08 AM on July 6, 2020
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