Your Name and Title: Wanda Mae Huffaker
Library, School, or Organization Name: Salt Lake County Library Services
Co-Presenter Name(s):
Area of the World from Which You Will Present: Salt Lake County, Utah, USA
Language in Which You Will Present: USA
Target Audience(s): Library Workers facing censors
Short Session Description (:Finding empathy for radicals who want to censor.
Full Session Description
When attempts at censorship come from people who are angry, they attack and make us want to fight back. Only we are a profession that is better at doing storytime than fighting. If we go back to what we do best, it is finding ways to be kind. We might not agree, but we can be agreeable.
For instance, we have thought out the interaction when someone comes to the desk angry about a book they saw on face out. The common library response has been to say, “See a librarian to find something more suitable”. Empathizing has helped us understand that the issue is not finding something more suitable, it is removing it. We are going over standard responses to see if they empathize or patronize people who challenge and how we can be better. We are working on it.
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