The union that represents Greater Victoria librarians is raising concerns about growing social disorder in south Island libraries as violent and threatening incidents have seen a marked increase.
According to the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 410 – which represents Greater Victoria library workers – in August 2021, there were 28 reported incidents across the system with nine of them at the downtown central branch on Broughton Street. In August 2024, there were 80 reported incidents overall, with 52 of those at the central branch, an almost three-fold overall increase, and more than five times the incidents at the central branch.
CUPE Local 410 vice-president Caitlin Ottenbreit says that because public libraries are among the only "free spaces" in Canadian society, many complex social issues observed by residents on the street, are seen by library workers on the job as well.
"Suffice to say that a lot of the mental health issues that we're seeing on the street, we're also seeing in the branches," said Ottenbreit, a librarian who often works at the central branch. "The way that I'm thinking about it as the vice-president of our local union is thinking about how that's impacting our workers. The kinds of things that we're seeing are a heightened number of incidents and a heightened complexity of incidents that our members are being asked to deal with."
She says there has been a steady increase in library workers leaving their jobs for a variety of reasons and going on medical leave as a result of the rise in social disorder, resulting in "severe" staffing shortages.
"It's causing an impact on our workers and our members, in that there are fewer people in the branch to deal with the same number of incidents," she said. "It's having an impact on our members in terms of their mental health and their ability to cope. We're seeing that play out in an increased incidence of sick leaves or other kinds of leaves that folks are having to take. People are transferring to other branches that have lower incidences, and some people are choosing to leave the library altogether."
She says there is a 20 per cent vacancy rate across the library system, and at the Broughton Street branch there are 10 vacancies for "front line" positions – people who work with the public on a daily basis. Though there is a high vacancy rate, it isn't necessarily related to ongoing social issues as there has also been a number of retirements and people leaving for further career development.
B.C. Conservative Party critic for mental health and addictions Claire Rattée blamed the provincial government for the social issues, saying library staff shouldn't have to partake in additional training and be "pushed out" because their workplaces have become unsafe.
"Library staff should not be expected to act as social workers," noted Rattée in an emailed statement. "Patrons shouldn’t have to feel physically threatened in a space meant for reading, studying, and learning.
"Let’s stop asking librarians to fill the gaps in a broken system."
Maureen Sawa, CEO of the Greater Victoria Public Library, says there has been an increase in security incidents at libraries across the country, mentioning that because libraries are a free, public service, they can be a reflection of social challenges the community faces.
"Despite being a small percentage of customer interactions, these incidents can really impact our employees' sense of safety, and public perceptions of libraries as a safe, welcoming, and accessible space," said Sawa.
As a result of the increase in incidents, the library has recently hired two senior positions to focus on security. The GVPL is also working to offer further training for library staff, including workplace violence prevention and de-escalation training that is tailored to library environments.
Sawa mentioned their ongoing work to support marginalized communities, pointing to their programs to help vulnerable people acquire ID, and their ongoing work with the Community-Led Crisis Response Team.
Despite the ongoing problems, both Ottenbreit and Sawa say most library visits are positive and the libraries remain a staple of the south Island community.
"The library is incredibly well used and incredibly well loved in the community. And I would say it's really important to remember that even when we're seeing these increased levels of incidences, it's still a fraction of the number of really positive interactions that we're having with people every day," said Ottenbreit.
The library has a number of projects and programs coming up, including the February opening of an interim library branch as a result of the redevelopment of the Nellie McClung branch in Saanich. There is also the upcoming Emerging Local Authors Collection which aims to support local authors and has reached its 10-year milestone.
