When I was youth services librarian at Campbell County (Wyo.) Public Library, I hired a magician as a summer reading performer. They happened to be transgender. That scheduled performance—and, as we found out later, the presence of materials at the library by and featuring LGBTQ+ authors and themes—led a group of residents to protest the library starting in 2021. They took out a billboard accusing the library of indoctrinating children, and Executive Director Terri Lesley was ultimately fired in 2023. (After Lesley sued, the county denied the removal was related to library materials but paid her $700,000 in a settlement.)
Policy issues and legalities aside, what I find concerning are the abusive communication and behavior patterns I see being used by many who attempt to challenge books, ban books, and “protect children.” Here are the patterns I have pointed out to my staff:
Character assassination. This includes smear campaigns designed to intimidate and destroy the credibility of library workers and dissuade their supporters. Labeling or name-calling are two tactics. The issue becomes irrelevant; the focus shifts to the person behind it, labeling them in a
defamatory or negative way.
Disinformation. Librarians are used to dealing with misinformation, but
disinformation is the intentional use of misinformation to mislead, promote
a false narrative, and influence public opinion or policy decisions.
Gaslighting. We typically hear about this technique in the personal arena. In this context, however, it involves the use of dishonest statements to lead a victim to question their own reality or feel like they are overreacting. This technique from anti–intellectual freedom protesters can really take a toll on frontline employees.
Minimizing. This is the use of statements to diffuse or reduce the perceived impact of the proposed actions or problematic behaviors. This includes characterizing moving books to the adult section as “just common sense” rather than censorship, or denying the impact of legislation restricting library books.
Volatility. Some individuals engage in erratic or unpredictable behavior to intimidate or influence what’s going on. At Campbell, the magician and our staff received threats, prompting the performer to cancel for safety reasons. We also started to see large crowds of mostly unknown residents show up at library board meetings, and they tended to resort to verbal outbursts you wouldn’t typically see at a public meeting.
How do we prepare ourselves for these interactions?
First, we need clear policies, including library mission statements that reflect the populations we serve and collection development policies that stem from those missions, and we need to know those policies well.
We also need to know our resources. Local support groups like the library Friends group and some parent groups might be good resources. State library associations, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, and other state and national resources are also available.
Think about your emotional readiness as well. When I was training my staff, we would talk about safety in steps. I told them that in difficult interactions, their personal safety comes first. Then the safety of other staff members, then the
safety of other patrons, and finally the problematic patron. It’s a shift in thinking about our public service model and our perspective.
What I find concerning are the abusive communication and behavior patterns I see being used by many who attempt to challenge books, ban books, and ‘protect children.’
I recommend formulating and rehearsing talking points to use in tough situations.
Not everybody has the luxury of having other staffers at the desk, but when possible, it’s good to have multiple employees to be a presence and have each other’s backs.
The gray rock technique—answering questions with facts but no emotion—can be valuable. People who attack us often hope for an emotional response, possibly to record and upload to social media.
There are many breathing and physical grounding techniques online. One I use is shifting my weight between the balls of my feet as I’m standing at the desk.
Finally, refer to management accordingly. Knowing these procedures is the responsibility of all library workers, but managers should develop guidance for
difficult situations. For instance, policies should advise on when manager intervention is needed in an interaction.
This column was adapted from a presentation made by the author at Recharging in Challenging Times: An ALA Virtual Event on February 10.
