Fórsa members working at libraries across the country have reported feeling deeply impacted after being targeted by far-right agitators objecting to the presence of LGBTQ+ reading material, according to new research conducted by UCD’s School of Information & Communication Studies. 

Commissioned by LGBT Ireland and Fórsa, the report entitled Resisting Hate and Navigating Agitation: Perspective and Voices of Public Library Staff & Librarians Against Reactionary Responses to LGBTQ+ Materials, acknowledges the resilience and bravery of library workers, who since 2022, have been subjected to a coordinated campaign of abuse and harassment by agitators entering libraries and attempting to remove books they deem to be “inappropriate”.

Based on qualitative interviews with library workers this year, the research found that library staff experienced a “pervasive undercurrent of anxiety and unease” in their workplaces relating to agitation and disruption, which has been amplified by social media posts, media reporting, and accounts of incidents in other libraries, shared amongst colleagues and library networks. 

Workers also reported feelings of anger, frustration, stress, and trauma, caused either by direct experiences of being aggressively challenged by agitators in the library, or by the fear that it might happen to them in future.

One library worker interviewed said: “It's such a confrontational situation, and like there is somebody looking you straight in the face and calling you a child abuser. It's just really difficult to deal with in a way that I didn't appreciate was going to be, until I was in that situation. I would count myself as somebody who's quite resilient and quite able to deal with confrontation, but it was hard.”

Staff working in rural libraries especially reported fearing being physically attacked while they were the only staff member present while the demonstrations were taking place. To protect themselves in such situations, some rural libraries developed “buddy systems” with nearby libraries.

UCD researcher Dr Páraic Kerrigan, described how library workers established a network to alert other libraries that there is an agitator present, and someone from the buddy library will come to either relieve that staff member or to join them and help them so they are not alone. Páraic said "Access to diverse information is the foundation of a thriving democracy. Libraries stand as pillars of inclusion and knowledge, and any agitation and disruption of public libraries and their workers in providing LGBTQ+ materials is not merely an attack on these resources but an assault on democratic values themselves. Protecting the freedom to access information for all communities is essential to sustaining an open, informed, and inclusive society”

Speaking at the launch, Head of Fórsa’s Local Government and Local Services and Municipal Employees’ Division Richy Carrothers welcomed the report and said it helped members “feel heard”. 

“One of the most important elements of this report is that it amplifies the lived experiences of workers. Fórsa members say they feel heard. It's an evidence-based analysis of what is being done to them by anti-LGBTQ+ agitators," he said. 

Richy, who chaired the project steering committee that put Fórsa members at the heart of this research, went on to explain that libraries are community hubs for social integration, serving as centres of cultural, educational, and academic learning, and must be places free from harassment and intimidation for both staff and library users. 

“Library workers need to be protected from this harassment, our members are afraid for their safety in their workplace. We proudly represent hardworking library staff across Ireland who do integral work, including creating inclusive communities. We support our members and they feel supported by their union. An attack on a library worker is an attack on the vital public services they provided. We demand safety in libraries for workers and the people who use them. It is clear from the evidence that Fórsa remained the only consistent voice advocating for workers. Workers also stuck together and supported each other. That shows the power in the union,” he said.

The full report Resisting Hate and Navigating Agitation: Perspective and Voices of Public Library Staff & Librarians Against Reactionary Responses to LGBTQ+ Materials, can be accessed here.

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