Why do people feel safe at the library?
In 2006 the Libraries Building Communities research in Victorian libraries found that 81% of people agreed that public libraries have a reputation as a safe place (57% Strongly agree, 24% Agree). Only 1% of people disagreed.
In more than 30 community surveys we have conducted since then we have consistently found that a high proportion of people – both library users and people who don’t use libraries – believe that public libraries are a safe place. The only discernible difference between responses is that people in inner city areas are less likely to see the library as safe than those in other metropolitan and regional areas. However, even in the inner city 76% of respondents agree that libraries have a reputation as a safe place.
I was reminded of this recently when some Instagram posts about safety in libraries were brought to my attention.
Today a woman with developmental disabilities came into the library, and said she was lost. She didn’t know her address, but her phone number was in her pocket on a piece of paper with Elmo on it. She kept saying, “The library is a safe place.”
My autistic brother has worked in the library for over 20 years shelving books and media. In a world full of opportunistic employers and angry customers, the library has always been his safe place.
My husband at 83, is suffering with deafness, dementia and deep depression. He asks to go to the library when he feels agitated. He stands in the stacks feeling safe and occupied there, surrounded by books he can no longer understand. The librarians are friendly and kind.
Which makes you wonder what it is about the library that gives it this calming comforting feel? Does everyone feel this way? Is it true for all public libraries? And what are the implications for libraries in the future?
So many questions that could fill hours of discussion, but here are a few random observations drawn from our experience in working with libraries over more than 20 years and an excellent research paper from State Library of NSW and University of Technology, Sydney – A Safe Place to Go (which stands up very well many years after its publication in 2000). Do any librarians recognise these scenarios?
Unaccompanied school children whose parents work late and/or cannot afford child care and use the library as a staging post between school and home.
Teenagers, particularly those from protected backgrounds, who are allowed to go to the safe haven of the library to meet friends away from parental supervision, especially teenage girls who are not otherwise allowed to go out unsupervised.
Homeless people finding shelter in the library during daylight hours before they head out again into a cold and lonely night.
Older people who visit the library as a social outing or a rest point on a busy day.
Carers bringing charges with mental or social disabilities to the library where they can venture with safety, and not encounter challenges they cannot handle.
Victims of domestic violence using the library as a resting place or source of information on escape options.
Prisoners on supervised release attending the library as part of their integration back into society.
All of these examples are real, yet they illustrate the lived experience of just a small proportion of library users – not the 84% who believe libraries are a safe place.
So what is it about the library that makes people feel safe? Some more observations (and a few generalisations).
Open door – anyone can enter, no-one is turned away, it’s free, you don’t have to buy a coffee.
Look and feel – libraries are (mostly?) welcoming, bright and light, clean, orderly, interesting, with comfortable casual seating (and those that aren’t are making the changes needed).
Variety of spaces – quiet spaces, alone spaces, social spaces, meeting spaces, private spaces, dedicated spaces – whatever you need you’ll find a space.
Social inclusion – you can engage with staff or other library users, or just be around other people.
Visibly non-judgmental – look around, you see all sorts of people in the library, people who are just like you, and people who aren’t.
Active and passive – there are things to do, things to read, things to observe, stimulus for the mind, or just sit and reflect.
Absence of ‘other’ – when people are treated equally, with equal right to use, and are afforded equal respect, ‘them versus us’ situations are less likely to arise.
Librarians – ‘are friendly and kind’, take an interest, answer questions, treat you like a person.
And ‘Yes’, I left the librarians until last because they are the ones who can compensate for any failings in the other attributes.
Which is not to say that libraries are always seen as safe. Consider:
libraries in inner city areas which are generally perceived as being less safe
people who feel uncomfortable being around ‘rowdy teenagers’ or people displaying boisterous behaviour in or immediately outside the library
people worried about being exposed to COVID in a public space occupied by lots of different people
unstaffed open libraries (although I’d argue the security measures in an open library provide a high degree of physical safety and the negative perception is based on an unknown).
Being ‘safe’ in an environment can mean many different things – physical safety, emotional safety, cultural safety, hygienic (COVID? public toilet?) safety. And a public library can offer all of those things. But maybe what the feedback is telling us is that because of all of those ‘safe’ characteristics libraries are a place where you can be yourself. You don’t have to be on guard. You don’t need to worry. You don’t have to perform to meet expectations. Just be you. All the library demands in return is that you respect other people – which is pretty much the principle that lies at the heart of most civilized societies, institutions and religions.
To close, let’s have a final word from A Safe Place to Go.
Perhaps the most important finding is that libraries are felt to be safe places where high levels of trust operate. This perception was present in all libraries. This feeling of trust was reciprocal between staff and users and between different groups of users. Most libraries have few formal security measures and encounter very few problems. Those libraries with the most liberal attitudes, and the least formal security measures, paradoxically also encountered the fewest problems. Most libraries are more relaxed than the outside environment.
Libraries Building Communities, State Library of Victoria, 2006
http://www2.slv.vic.gov.au/about/information/publications/policies_reports/plu_lbc.html
A Safe Place to Go, State Library of NSW and UTS, 2000
Numerous library user and community surveys conducted by I & J Management Services for Australian public libraries.