Abstract
Patron-perpetrated sexual harassment (PPSH) is increasingly recognized as a significant problem in the field of library and information studies (LIS) but is often described and treated as “unfortunate” and “part of the job.” The results from a large-scale survey (505 responses) where participants described incidents of PPSH in the workplace support widely held public statements that define PPSH as a form of gender-based violence (GBV), insisting that it must be named and treated as such. Naming PPSH as sexual harassment and a form of GBV has important implications for library workers, library workplaces, and the broader field of LIS.
Highlights
Patron-perpetrated sexual harassment (PPSH) is increasingly recognized as a significant problem in the field of library and information studies (LIS) but is often described and treated as “unfortunate” and “part of the job.” The results from a large-scale survey (505 responses) where participants described incidents of PPSH in the workplace support widely held public statements that define PPSH as a form of gender-based violence (GBV), insisting that it must be named and treated as such
Given that legislation and in-house policies are in place to protect and support library workers, the recognition that GBV disproportionately affects women and especially those with intersecting identities, and that LIS is itself a feminized profession, our research project asks: why is the conceptualization and treatment of PPSH in libraries as sexual harassment and GBV not adequately acknowledged in the field of LIS? This paper explores one aspect of this question by asking: what do descriptions of incidents of PPSH in libraries tell us about library workers’ experiences of sexual harassment, and GBV, in library workplaces?
Our findings indicate that PPSH in libraries is undoubtedly sexual harassment, and a form of GBV, according to provincial, federal, and other definitions of these terms--it must be named as such in LIS
Summary
Patron-perpetrated sexual harassment (PPSH) is increasingly recognized as a significant problem in the field of library and information studies (LIS) but is often described and treated as “unfortunate” and “part of the job.” The results from a large-scale survey (505 responses) where participants described incidents of PPSH in the workplace support widely held public statements that define PPSH as a form of gender-based violence (GBV), insisting that it must be named and treated as such. While some library workers have been calling attention to this issue (Civitello & McLain, 2017; DeWitt, 2017; MacBride, 2018; von Stackelberg, 2018), PPSH has largely been overlooked in the profession and in LIS education (Allard, Lieu, & Oliphant, 2020; Oliphant, Allard, & Lieu, 2020). Structural factors such as a neoliberal “customer” orientation, the feminization of librarianship, and the field’s professional value of universal access make library workers vulnerable to PPSH while making it difficult for individuals to counter. Drawing on our analysis of 505 survey responses describing incidents of PPSH, we argue that PPSH is a prevalent and significant form of sexual harassment that has dimensions specific to librarianship that must be explored and understood in order to effectively oppose it
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