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Whisper it, life can be tough in libraries
Log books reveal how front-counter staff face abuse
IT’S meant to be a quiet life being a librarian but the New Journal can reveal how in Camden staff have to deal with abuse from customers, fights and anti-social behaviour.
Incident log books held at Camden’s libraries provide an insight into the often hair-raising confrontations that front-counter staff have to deal with.
One despairing librarian feared he could be stabbed or beaten up on the way home from work after ordering two unruly men out of the library.
Every incident inside Camden libraries is recorded in a file of staff reports and reviewed by managers.
Log-book entries from the last two years were handed to the New Journal following a Freedom of Information request.
In some cases, the violent nature of the harassment of staff has left them feeling distressed.
One female worker ran to safety up a flight of stairs after being followed by a man who shouted abuse at her in Holborn Library. She wrote in the report book: “He attempted to set fire to some of the wires of the PCs on the counter and proceeded to throw things around… I am extremely shaken by the whole incident and believe this individual should be banned from the library.”
Simple jobs such as charging a book to a library card or setting someone up on a communal computer can explode into confrontations, the log books show.
Another librarian was abused at the Holborn front counter in November 2005 after asking two rowdy men to leave. He reported afterwards: “I asked him if he could speak clearly and in plain English as I am not hip or young any more.. Now I have to wait and see if I get knifed or attacked on the way home by these thugs. Again.”
An Asian librarian at Swiss Cottage Library was asked: “Do you understand English?” The incident is filed under racial harassment.
One report described how a man was often discovered nude in a library. An entry said: “Obviously, the library has become a stage of safety for his trauma to be played out on, although his open displays of nudity and harassment of the opposite sex are anti-social behaviour to members of the public.”
Some librarians appear to see the funny side. A report of a man furiously tearing up a copy of the New Journal at Swiss Cottage was headed: “Ripping Yarns of a Red Hooded Person And A Boy In Blue.”
Another librarian who had to deal with a man who wanted to bring a barking dog into Swiss Cottage Library said: “From the outset his manner was aggressive. He told me I shouldn’t be stroking his property and to get away from it.”
Camden Council has said that readers should not be deterred from visiting libraries.
A council press official said: “Camden’s libraries are welcoming, safe and friendly places that are open to everyone. More than two million people used them last year, with only a very small number of incidents and the vast majority of customers having an enjoyable visit.
“When an incident occurs, we take it very seriously, dealing with it immediately and involving police if needed. We do everything possible to ensure the safety and security of staff and customers.”
She added that most libraries had CCTV and that anyone behaving badly could be excluded. |
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