“I’ve been hoping that we can get some traction here in Oregon, and so far that hasn’t happened, but I’m not giving up,” Oehlke says. ONE OF THE OTHER CHANGES that’s immediately noticeable when one enters the new Central Library: There’s an office just off the entryway, near the location of the former bookstore, for community resource counselors. Since 2016 Cascadia Health has staffed a Library Crisis Team to provide resources to patrons, but having a visible but private office for the resource workers is new. In 2021, according to Cascadia, the crisis team served 454 clients: 43% were houseless, 11% were housed and 46% had an unknown housing status. The nature of the services provided varies, Cunningham says. Sometimes it’s a matter of connecting patrons with food, shelter or jobs, and sometimes it’s a matter of working with a patron in acute crisis to calm them down. Part of the idea is to take a more proactive approach to security—with the understanding that libraries are one of few spaces where members of the public are welcome, without the expectation that they buy something in order to be allowed to sit down or use the bathroom. Since OB’s visit to the Central Library, branches across the system have experienced service disruptions due to a change in the union contract that means library staff can’t be required to serve as the person in charge of security concerns if they are the only person on duty. A March audit found that more than 40% of Multnomah County library staff feel unsafe at work, reporting more than 2,000 violations of library rules between January and December 2022, more than half of which took place at the Central Library. Incidents reported include violent threats, sexual harassment and drug overdoses — and staff noted that police rarely responded when 911 was called. They did note that they feel safer at work when there is a security person on the job, which most library branches have. “What we’re seeing outside, on the streets and in the parks of our community — that behavior is also happening in library buildings,” Oehlke says. In addition to hiring social workers and security guards, the library is looking into hiring peer support specialists to work directly with people dealing with addiction. Multnomah County Library is not alone in offering social services to patrons — either in the state or nationwide — or in making more space for community gatherings, whether in small, informal reading areas or meeting rooms, which according to Jarman and Oehlke are in consistent high demand. “That is a very strong story coming out of urban libraries now, where I think you have seen an increase in numbers, or you have seen an increase in the depth of service and the depth of need that people have coming in — particularly post-pandemic,” says Stephanie Chase, the executive director for Libraries of Eastern Oregon, who is also serving on the executive board of directors for the American Library Association. “Rural libraries have really had that on their plates for a long time. When you’re working in a small community, you have a real sense of who’s struggling. There are not a lot of places to go to try to find help.” While smaller libraries may not have social workers on staff, many are shifting their approach — and training — to address increasing rates of homelessness in rural areas, as well as ongoing problems with “Rural libraries have really had that on their plates for a long time. When you’re working in a small community, you have a real sense of who’s struggling. There are not a lot of places to go to try to find help.” STEPHANIE CHASE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR LIBRARIES OF EASTERN OREGON A new digital sorting machine and closed stacks are in the library’s basement. 25
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