Librarians describe ‘anxiety and unease’ at protests by anti-LGBTQ+ groups, new report reveals
Posted 15 November, 2024
Librarians are stressed and fear being attacked according to new UCD research examining the impact of protests against inclusive LGBTQ+ library material.
In a study funded by the Irish Research Council (now incorporated into Research Ireland), the experiences of Ireland’s public library staff forced to deal with reactionary agitation while maintaining their need to serve diverse communities is documented.
Several libraries around the country have been targeted in recent years by protesters angry over the availability of LGBTQ+ related reading material and programmes, with some, notably Cork City Library in June 2023, having been force to close over staff safety fears.
Sharing their experiences as part of the report ‘(opens in a new window)Resisting Hate and Navigating Agitation’, library staff expressed a “pervasive undercurrent of anxiety and unease” due to repeated disruptions in their workplaces, with these feelings amplified by social media, media coverage, and shared accounts of incidents amongst colleagues and library networks.
“What we're seeing… is a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, and [librarians] having to actually do extra labour on top of their day to day jobs to prepare for this resistance,” said (opens in a new window)Dr Páraic Kerrigan, UCD School of Information & Communication.
“[Such as] security measures to mitigate further agitation and disruption within the public library sector.
“Bear in mind, libraries are democratic open spaces where information is epistemically meant to be there for individuals, free access and open access, and that collections and communities can engage with these materials safely.
“That security measures have to be put in place is a kind of detriment to the democratised function of libraries."
Speaking to (opens in a new window)RTÉ Radio One’s Drivetime, Dr Kerrigan said agitation was “consolidated” amongst a very small group of individuals targeting LGBTQ materials.
But while small, they were extremely organised, militant, and adept at using “very specific pseudo legal mechanisms” to harass librarians.
“The project uncovered that they would go in and part of the spiel was that they would record live on social media interacting with librarians, inquiring about particular books, and in some instances, would take books off shelves that they would disagree with, rip pages out of the books, and then reshare on social media for that to be amplified.”
Multiple participants in the research reported being harassed as part of these concerted campaigns targeting libraries. A number of employees at libraries said they had been called paedophiles or groomers.
The recommendations of the study include improving security protocols at all public libraries, including staff training on incident reporting and handling disruptive individuals, and collaboration with local authorities and gardaí.
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
