I read one of a series of similarly-named books by Warren Graham and was surprised by how much I liked it. The Black Belt Librarian – Real-World Safety and Security is intended for professionals. It’s a short book, with a detailed table of contents and index – perfect for quick reference. I think Graham’s advice would apply to anyone who deals with the public as customers.

Indeed, Graham started in security for retail and theme parks. Midway through the book, the title is explained. As a boy, he was “passive, introverted, and emotional.” Encouraged by a grandfather, he got involved in martial arts. He says the mental discipline and self-control allowed him to become confident and effective dealing with the public. He assures librarians – who can be too introverted and passive – they can master his skills. He also notes that those who are extroverted and aggressive also need training to de-escalate situations.

What could go wrong in a library?

If you’re wondering why librarians need to be mental black-belts, read about the members of the public they deal with – what Graham calls “behavior problems… that run the gamut from the innocuous to the insane.” Restrooms are a nightmare – from patrons who strip to wash clothes and themselves to unwelcome sexual encounters. I now understand why restroom doors are usually within sight of the circulation desk and even then may be locked. My childhood hometown library makes you check out the key.

Warren spends some time convincing librarians who think being welcoming to everyone is their job that allowing disruptive behavior drives many patrons away – that indulging behavior problems denies many patrons use of a library they can’t tolerate. Some of his assessments of patrons may seem harsh at first: “All the nuts are not in the nuthouse,” and “some folks will try to tell you there is no such thing as a stupid question. Obviously, they never worked in a library.”

But he goes on to emphasize librarians must speak about behaviors and avoid terms or actions that show prejudice. Appearances can deceive – Graham once broke up a fistfight between two elderly, well-dressed gentlemen who both wanted the same business reference book.
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Jon Ronson has written a fascinating book that may scare you off the internet. It’s about the cliques (perhaps they should be called gangs) on social media, and how each becomes an “echo chamber where what we believe is constantly reinforced by people who believe the same thing… ‘It locks people off… trapped in a system of feedback reinforcement.'”

The topic is timely. I’ve read, for example: It’s “almost as if the Web had been calibrated from the very beginning to allow a bigoted harassment campaign to flourish,” from Slate.com; and that abusive behavior on Twitter is causing people to abandon it and could even kill the company.

Ronson examines the plight of several individuals who posted something that made them the target of attacks – “public shamings” that ruined their lives, at least for a while. The attackers claim to be punishing racism or other anti-social behavior, but I think the internet term that applies is “troll.”

When shaming is good
Ronson set out to “chronicle how efficient [social media] was in righting wrongs.” There were “recent social media shaming I’d enjoyed and felt proud of.”

• Following an anti-gay item published by The Guardian, the “collective fury” of people on Twitter led to companies pulling their advertising from the paper,
• When the Daily Mail mocked a food bank, Twitter users led a campaign for donations to the charity,
• LA Fitness refused to cancel the gym membership of a couple who lost their jobs until a blizzard of tweets shamed them into agreeing.

“These giants were being brought down by people who used to be powerless [by] the weapon: online shaming.” Continue reading →