Library staff live with 'undercurrent of anxiety and unease' due to far-right disruption
Live And With Agitators, New In In Of Found Right Undercurrent From Unease” Anxiety A Staff Due Far Library Disruption Their Workplaces Has Ireland To “pervasive Research
Library staff in Ireland live with a “pervasive undercurrent of anxiety and unease” in their workplaces due to disruption from far-right agitators, new research has found.
Furthermore, they have had to implement comprehensive safety measures such as panic buttons in response to increasing agitation and disruption, it said.
The research from academics at UCD, which was supported by LGBT Ireland, was based on interviews with 26 library workers around the country between June and October this year.
Incidents involving far-right activists holding demonstrations outside libraries and, in some instances, entering them to protest at the inclusion of particular books in the library have become common in recent years. Activists have attended such demonstrations as part of a long-running disinformation campaign about LGBT books.
Dr Páraic Kerrigan, assistant professor and deputy head of UCD’s School of Information and Communication Studies, said: “Access to diverse information is the foundation of a thriving democracy.
“Libraries stand as pillars of inclusion and knowledge, and any agitation and disruption of public libraries and their workers in providing LGBTQ+ materials is not merely an attack on these resources but an assault on democratic values themselves.”
The research found that library staff distinguished between agitators and those who made complaints regarding LGBTQ+ materials. They said the agitation took the form of organised and coordinated disruption, “incorporating both digital and physical harassment,” according to the report.
“Social media were seen as aggravating the disruption, through posting videos and agitating for action against libraries,” the report said.
While some staff felt prepared to deal with disruption, others felt the training they received was lacking.
As well as panic buttons and relationships with local gardaí, a buddy system has also developed in rural branches, in particular, to ensure immediate support during incidents.
They also role play potential scenarios to build staff confidence and actively monitor far-right agitators online to anticipate potential disruption.
The research said: “The actions of agitators have significantly impacted public library staff’s emotional and mental wellbeing, with many reporting feelings of anger, frustration, stress, and trauma, caused either by direct experiences of being aggressively challenged by agitators in the library, or by the fear that it might happen to them in future.”
The incidents have also caused strained relations with some staff in small numbers, particularly between colleagues with differing or opposing views on the actions of the agitators.
Some library staff also expressed frustration and disappointment with the response of the upper or sectoral management of the crisis, which they said could be “overly aimed at appeasing the agitators through actions”.
The research and its findings were welcomed by trade union Fórsa, which said it has around 1,000 library workers as members.
“The findings of this report validate and vindicate everything we have said over the past two years,” Richy Carrothers, Head of the Local Government and Local Services at the union, said.