Trauma-Informed Public Service
Toledo Lucas County Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Librarians are taught to remain unbiased, be welcoming, and serve with empathy and understanding. However, these tenets of our profession were put to the test in the wake of the societal changes brought on by COVID-19 and the manner in which it stretched our community systems and norms. Toledo Lucas County Public Library (TLCPL) and our staff were not immune to this.
As the world experienced the collective trauma of a pandemic, our lack of understanding of the intricacies of our local social services systems became very apparent, and the healthy boundaries necessary to serve the public were put to the test. We needed to understand how to provide help that would not unintentionally cause more harm while also protecting ourselves and understanding the limits of what we, as librarians, can do.
Challenge/Opportunity
As a large system, we needed to find an approach to social service assistance that was sustainable and kept us within our areas of expertise. Employing social workers was not an option as it would have duplicated/complicated our area HHS providers' efforts and been either inequitable or unsustainable due to the size of our system.
We also acknowledged the necessity of providing guidance and care to our staff who had experienced (or were currently experiencing) their own trauma, both because of the effect COVID-19 had on them directly and because of the increased needs of our customers as it relates to the assistance they provide.
There was no simple solution that would help us solve this problem. Instead, we came to understand that what we needed was a more profound, holistic understanding of our HHS system and what it really means to provide “trauma-informed service.”
Key Elements of Innovation
In 2023, staff were provided PLA’s “Trauma-Informed Framework for Supporting Patrons” workbook. In webinars by workbook author and former library social worker, Dr. Margaret Ann Paauw, “trauma-informed service” was defined and a toolkit for how to utilize a trauma-informed lens was taught. De-escalation techniques and self-care practices were also included. Working with library administration, examples of how to provide trauma-informed care that integrates local HHS agencies were discussed.
TLCPL also built a Partner Spotlight series that highlighted HHS providers’ services and how library staff could help the public access them. Some of the partners included United Way, Lutheran Social Services, The Fair Housing Center, Lucas County Job and Family Services, and the YWCA.
TLCPL staff were provided a reading and discussion schedule for the workbook that was implemented at the agency level so that best practices specific to the needs of each agency’s community could be established.
Achieved Outcomes
In total, approximately 300 of the library’s staff, including public service managers, supervisors, librarians, and clerks, completed the training. From this, a sustainable training system for new staff was formed so that moving forward all librarians start with in-depth knowledge of the HHS system in Northwest Ohio and the ways in which TLCPL supports the health and well-being of our staff.
Staff confidence in the services they were providing increased which in turn led to less burnout from feeling that they were not doing “enough.” It also increased the trust staff has in our HHS partners by peeling back the curtain on their processes so they understood better what successful referrals look like. The resulting trust that has been built between TLCPL and our partner organizations has positioned us to be one of the largest community hubs in the Northwest Ohio area with dozens of community partners in our spaces each month.
