by Karlene Clark, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota
EDI Committee Chair

There are many invisible matters our patrons can deal with – anything from a physical matter, like arthritis or breathing problems, to mental matters such as PTSD (post-traumatic syndrome disorder). PTSD can be caused by any event that was life threatening or highly traumatic. It can cause fear, anger, avoidance of external reminders, and more.

A great book recommendation is A Trauma-Informed Approach to Library Services by Rebecca Tolley (ALA Editions, 2020). This issue, I’d like to include a few quotes and thoughts from the book that address understanding trauma:

• It crosses all demographic markers.
• Chronic stress trains a person to be on constant high alert, which affects the ability to seek out and understand information. This can lead to patrons feeling awkward, vulnerable, or inadequate when entering libraries.
• “Everyone, including workers, community members, and visitors, should feel physically, psychologically, and culturally safe.” (p 47) “Psychological safety is comprised by a range of behaviors that includes sarcasm, condescension, public humiliation, negative tones of voice and body language, inconsistent rules, procedures and policies, favoritism, infantilizing, gaslighting, shaming, and blaming, among others. People who grew up around these behaviors as part of their [childhood experiences] are easily triggered by exposure to them” (p 51). While the author speaks about childhood, PTSD, anxiety, and other psychological conditions can form at any point in a person’s life. The individual person will do what they can to protect themselves, but as librarians, we can set them up for success in our buildings. Instead of using the thought process of “treat others as I would want to be treated,” we need to shift that thinking to “treat others the way THEY would like to be treated. The author gives the example of someone having lost a parent – if we suddenly walk away from them during a visit, they may be triggered and feel a sense of loss, or that you, too, won’t come back.
• “Our lack of awareness and empathy [for the three safety factors listed above] can result in miscommunication on our part, feeling misunderstood on their part, and all individuals left stymied and possibly re-traumatized.” (p 21)
• “Safety and trust are not the same… Transparency engenders trust.” (p 61).

The book covers much more than the brief mentions here. It’s an easy read and wraps up with another important section: self-care for the librarians!

We all deal with traumas on some level. Some stay with us; some are for a time only. The section that discuss cultural safety in the book was also eye opening for me. Listening to what others need and watching their reactions to our interactions, and being kind to ourselves and each other goes a long way in starting the process to being trauma-informed. While focused on medical care, this 3 minute video further explains some of the side effects of trauma, along with other causes.