(via Lindsay O’Neill, Linday O’Neill Consulting LLC)
Registration is open for the ALA LearnRT (Learning Round Table) webinar “Reimagining Safety with the Library Safety Volunteers”. It will take place on Thursday, April 16, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM CDT.
The presenter is Heath Umbreit, who works as an Adult Services Librarian at a public library in the Northeast.
Description
As backlash against libraries continues escalating, librarians are more vulnerable than ever; yet, few practices effectively or proactively address this issue, especially in program spaces. Some libraries reactively call the police after harm has happened. Others simply push through alone, risking burnout. Still others engage in soft censorship to avoid “controversy” altogether.
In early 2025 in Massachusetts, I founded the Library Safety Volunteers (LSV) to provide a proactive, non-carceral alternative for colleagues. Modeled on mutual aid organizing traditions in the LGBTQIA+ community, LSV trains librarians in deescalation techniques. Upon request, LSV teams attend colleagues’ programs to provide supplemental assistance, monitor for signs of escalation, safely escort attendees past protesters, and calmly deescalate hecklers.
Please register here. More information about the ALA Learning Round Table is available here.