Librarians often have to be mediators in moments of high tension. This course will equip you and your team with tools to respond to security issues and opioid overdoses, resolve conflicts, and more to ensure you are prepared in these moments. You will also learn how to approach safety from a trauma-informed and equity-centered lens. This half-day online program features experts from across the country.
Who should take this course: This course is for librarians and frontline staff to equip you with tactical safety strategies on the ground as you navigate safety risks, high tension, or conflict in the workplace.
Course Program
Half-day intensive November 29, 2023
Session 1: Everyone’s Responsibility: Creating a Culture of Safety
12:00-12:25 pm ET
SPEAKER
Kaya Burgin, Branch Manager at Loveland Branch Library of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
Session 2: Safer Libraries for Staff and Patrons: Trauma-Informed Librarianship
12:00-12:25 pm ET
SPEAKERS
Leticia Cotto, Customer Experience Officer, Hartford Public Library and
Catherine G. Corto-Mergins, LCSW, Director of Training, The Village for Families & Children
Session 3: NARCAN Training: Recognizing and Managing Substance Abuse Incidents
1:15-2:00 pm ET
SPEAKER
Kourtnaye Sturgeon, Director of Education at Overdose Lifeline, Inc. (ODL)
Session 4: Centering Equity During Conflict
2:00-2:45 pm ET
SPEAKER
Lu Bangura, Director of Equity and Fair Practice at Enoch Pratt Free Library
Session 5: Engaging with Tweens and Teens in Crisis
(and Afterward)
2:55-3:40 pm ET
SPEAKERS
Alex Nyquist, PhD (she, her) is a licensed Pediatric Psychologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and
Stephen Jackson, (he, him) Director of Equity and Antiracism, Oak Park Public Library
Session 6: Conflict Resolution, Boundaries, and Self-Care in a Customer Service Role
3:45-4:30 pm ET
SPEAKER
Lauren Comito, (she, her) Neighborhood Library Supervisor at the Leonard Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library and Board Chair of Urban Librarians Unite
