Can public support quell harassment of librarians?

As I create my “ideal” collection development policy for LIS 5250, one of the things that resonates with me is, what kind of support can be “built into” the policy for a librarian who is facing attempts to remove books from the library?

For the U.K.’s Guardian, Mechling (2022) recently observed that U.S. library employees face “harassment and humiliation tactics” and sometimes even “violent or aggressive behavior” in a climate in which challenges against materials in libraries are often politically motivated. Increasing numbers of librarians “are complaining of sleepless nights, quitting their jobs and setting their social media accounts to private in order to protect themselves” (ibid).

One librarian, Amanda Jones, faced numerous accusations on social media: that she was “grooming” children, that she was a “criminal” and “pedophile” (Factora, 2022). Jones filed a complaint in Louisiana’s 21st Judicial District Court against the Facebook page “Citizens for a New Louisiana” (ibid).

In contrast to this atmosphere of hate and deliberate harassment, I want to highlight the consistent agreement that takes place at workplace gatherings, which is that everyone “Assumes positive intent.”

The idea is that, when someone annoys or frustrates you, part of your response is to assume they are not doing it maliciously or deliberately.

“Yes, some people actually are rotten, or dishonest, or truly out to get you. You shouldn’t ignore patterns of toxic behavior. But most people are simply stressed, or clumsy with their words, or innocently screwing up” (VandeHei, 2022).

In my ideal policy, the overseeing board will hold library employees “blameless” in the event that a book chosen by library staff is subject to a challenge. Somehow, perhaps during deliberations or reactions to the challenge, the governing board would convey to the public this assumption of positive intent by people who work for the library.

Perhaps by hearing such an expression of support, this idea that the librarians are “blameless,” people in the community who want to ban “controversial” books will think again before tarnishing reputations with outrageous and venomous claims. Even if they don’t, perhaps the sting of these accusations could be reduced if librarians know that the governing body publicly “has their back.”

References:
Factora, J. (2022, Aug. 15). A school librarian is suing the right-wing activists who tried to harass her. Them. https://www.them.us/story/a-school-librarian-is-suing-the-right-wing-activists-who-tried-to-harass-her

Mechling, L. (2022, Sept. 20). ‘We’ve moved backwards’: US librarians face unprecedented attacks amid right-wing book bans. The guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/20/librarians-banned-books-attacks-library

VandeHei, J. (2022, June 4). Simplest workplace principle: Assume positive intent. Economy & business. Axios. https://www.axios.com/2022/06/03/simple-workplace-principle-assume-positive-intent