Shattering the Silence

Photo by Alfons Morales on Unsplash

By Sunnie Alexander

Author’s Note: Warning – the material can be graphic. 

In 2017, just after the alleged Harvey Weinstein stories had come out, a library friend and I were talking, and she mentioned her own story of sexual harassment in the library field. For weeks, I could not shake her story. Working in the library profession myself, my friend’s story was hardly the first of this kind I had heard, as whispers of similar stories circulated. Still, the shock and horror that such behavior could happen were disturbing. After researching the topic of sexual harassment taking place in libraries, I conducted a months-long investigation.

Individuals from across the country have come forward to share their stories, some on the record and others anonymously, to protect their privacy and avoid retribution. All of the following stories presented in this article are alleged, and fictional names are used for those who have asked to remain anonymous.   

‘A problem that we all knew existed’

The #metoo movement opened a new chapter in awareness about workplace sexual harassment.

“#Metoo has raised consciousness about the breadth and depth of a problem that we all knew existed. However, we did not know how bad it was and still is. Now we do. And, with this raised consciousness, people are re-examining anti-discrimination laws and environments or situations that are not adequately covered by law. They are also reviewing policies and training procedures,” said Jennifer Drobac, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. 

“Sexual harassment is first and foremost an abuse of power, conducted through the use of sexual advances, sex-based or gender stereotypes, sex-based or gender-based hostility, or other discriminatory and gender-based conduct,” said Drobac. 

Libby worked in the library profession at different times for more than 20 years and alleges she has weathered several instances of sexual harassment, both direct and indirect, involving both colleagues and patrons. There was the time as a manager that, “One of my staff told me there was a man behaving oddly in the 300s — the true crime section. He was standing in the stacks, staring at the librarians and openly [touching himself inappropriately],” Libby said. Another time, “The branch manager told me he hired me to look cute in the office. He chose a desk for me that kept me in full view of his open door. After I left the position, he began sending me private messages over Facebook detailing the sexual fantasies he had about me while we worked together.”

Then there was the time while working as a contract librarian that one of the federal employees “was very insistent on hitting on me,” Libby said. “When I told him I was married, his response was that my husband was most likely cheating on me, so I should have a little fun, too. I went to the head of HR to file a complaint after this had gone on for months. He (the head of HR) told me I was ‘built like a brick shithouse and should just expect it.’” 

Those are three incidents. Libby can cite more, and at times, throughout the years, Libby has reported the incidents. However, according to Libby, pointing out the problem only backfired on her. 

“I have filed EEOC [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] sexual harassment suits twice: once in 1998 and once in 2016,” she said. “Both times, I was told that since no other women were reporting harassment and I hadn’t made voice recordings of any of the comments, there was nothing that could be done, and the cases were dropped. Both times, I was asked to resign.” 

Those resignations weren’t the only consequences for Libby. Loss of a job and paycheck led to home foreclosures, vehicle repossessions, and bad credit history. It also made finding the next job more difficult. The mental drain was significant, too, sometimes requiring therapy to move forward. 

“In my experience, sexual harassment in libraries is swept under the rug. No administrative group wants to admit such things happen in their library, so the expedient response is to write the victims off as hysterical or vindictive. It is much easier to remove the person making the noise than to put together a case against the abuser,” Libby concluded. 

‘It can be subtle. It can happen in plain sight.’

Harassment comes in different forms. According to Drobac, there are the clueless, the careless, and the corrupt. 

“People who accidentally harass others may have unwittingly adopted prevalent gender- and sex-based stereotypes. They mean to engage in the conduct but do not understand that the conduct is illegal or discriminatory. I suggest that the clueless, once advised that their conduct is offensive, will feel remorse. They will try to make amends and change their behavior,” she said. 

“…More serious behavior more often occurs with the care-less. These people know that what they are doing is wrong and don’t care. They will not change their attitudes or behavior until threatened with unpleasant consequences such as fines, unpaid leave, shift reductions, etc.,” Drobac said. 

“Corrupt leaders engage in the most serious types of workplace abuse and sex-based violence. These people have serious psychological problems or have become completely insensitive to their targets’ trauma,” Drobac said. 

Jill alleged that her harasser, “a big name in library land,” cornered her at a library conference about seven years ago and “loomed into my quickly disappearing space.” 

Next, Jill said, “The harasser reached over and started running his fingers up and down my left arm. Two other women stepped in when he persisted in touching me.” 

“While my experience didn’t go any further, I’m outraged that he felt so empowered to box me in against that wall or touch me in a brightly lit room,” Jill said. “I wish to speak out to say that sexual harassment doesn’t just mean lewd comments or outright assault. It can be subtle. It can happen in plain sight. The victim can shut down and freeze. I always thought I’d yell and shove someone away. I froze. I was terrified that he could do this so publicly and not fear reprimand.” 

‘At first, they were benign’ 

Sexual harassment by a library patron often seems to start with a question or remark that seems ordinary. The librarian, focused on providing phenomenal customer service, might even dismiss the harassing comment the first time and the second time it’s made, but eventually, a disturbing pattern can emerge. This was what allegedly happened to Rachel Koszalka. She was just beginning her career when she claims she was harassed by an older patron in a public library. 

“I had recently started a job as the programming librarian. An older man, on a daily basis, would come in and ask me how I’m doing. I was uncomfortable with his tone and body language but never thought anything about it because I figured he was just trying to be nice,” Koszalka said. 

“What made things change was when one day, he told me that I look very sexy in the boots I was wearing. I responded by saying that’s not appropriate and to please not say things like that to me. About a month later, he came in and asked why I was offended when he was trying to pay me a compliment. I asked him to only speak to me if he had any library business, but he didn’t back off until one of my co-workers told him to stay away from me. The incident made me feel uncomfortable and also unsafe in my workplace, but after my co-worker told him to leave me alone, he did finally stay away. He still comes into the library frequently but doesn’t try to interact with me. Over time, it’s gotten easier for me to handle situations like this and I love that I can rely on my co-workers,” she said. 

When she was 27 and in graduate school pursuing her master’s of library science, Robin was working in a large, public library. That’s when, she alleged, a patron’s behavior got out of hand. 

“A regular patron who seemed just normal and friendly began to overestimate our friendship and started making comments about my appearance,” Robin explained. “At first, they were benign like, ‘Nice hair day,’ but it escalated into comments about my body. The comments were along the lines of ‘Girl, that sweater you’re wearing be making those boobies look good. Those men are going to be after you today!’ or, ‘You looking tired today, girl. Were you up all last night getting laid? I bet them men was buying you drinks all night.’ Sometimes, he would lean over to a random patron and say something like, ‘Just look at her. She’s so sexy. She can’t help it, even when she’s mad. Those men are going to be after you today.’”

“From that moment, I confronted him, and onward, if I had to wait on him or he saw me on the public floor, he would make harassing comments,” Robin added. “Never directly threatening, just gross and sexual and full of icky innuendo. I asked him to stop. It turned into him yelling at the service desk that he was gay and therefore couldn’t harass me, and it was a public library and he could say what he wanted. I reiterated my statement that comments about the appearance of staff were inappropriate and explained that under law, I had a right to work in an environment free from harassment.” 

“He complained to my middle-aged female manager. She sided with him and said I should have just ignored him. I told her the exact comments, and she replied with, ‘Well, this is a large, urban library; what did you expect?’ I finished my shift and went home and cried,” Robin said. “I never reported anything to the library administration again. He continued to bother me every single time I worked because they had basically given him carte blanche.” ■

Part II will be in the January issue.