I've stopped going to the Fairfax library due to safety issues with patron, but more importantly, with managerial staff harassment and retaliation. After half an hour of listening to another patron talking on a call, and her waiving me off until done, I patiengly waited and then politely asked if she was willing to take her conversations outside. Dhe refused, which is her right, yet she indicated that I should leave, which is not her right. She continued verbal harassment by calling me "nasty", and continued as I got up mockingly encouraged me to talk to library staff. I didn't realize yet why she was so confidently harassing and escalating the situation.
I understand that any librarian would need to know what was said, that I was being harassed, and what I wanted from them. I walked up to a librarian at the front desk and said "I am being harassed by another patron who (did the above described), and I would like her removed from the library. He looked not only blank, but completely uncomfortable as he said absolutely nothing. The other desk librarian awkwardly interjected herself and as I repeated my statements the harassing patron decided to interject and accuse the librarian of not listening to her side. The librarian let herself be manipulated and turned to listen to the harasser, who just harassed me more by saying "Don't even start with me" when I didn't start anything with her and she chided me to go to the staff. Staff didn't tell her to not threaten me, nothing.
The manager, Margaret, comes up and looks as if she would rather be anywhere else, such a horrible attitude. I re-state the exact verbal harassment and my request for resolution. Clear facts with a clear request. Margaret remains completely tense and barely verbal. She then goes to speak to the harasser and I go back to my belongings to wait.
Margaret brings the harasser back in with her and, with all of us there, tells me that the harasser will continue her calls as usual and that if I don't like it I can leave - exactly what the harasser already told me, and totally unnecessary. Margaret says nothing about the harassment, and states that she does not remember any of the harassment I specifically told her, nor my request for resolution. No apology, no acknowledgement of a single word I'd stated to her, while she increasingly shows indignant frustration with me. There is no other conclusion to be made than that the harasser is allowed to harass me; and the harasser looked totally contented this whole time. Margaret finally states, with exasperation towards me, that the harasser is to ignore me, and that if she doesn't ignore me, I am report this to her - again, her body language, her tone, everything, conveying her contempt for me.
Of course, the harasser harassed me again. I tell Margaret who only amps up her glares and refusal to acknowledge the harassment while conveying disdain and belief that there was never any harassment towards me; "ending" in her literal turning on her heel and walks out of the room. Margaret has an unwavering commitment, way beyond mishandling harassment from a managerial position, to punishing those who speak up about clear harassment: she chooses to repeatedly and increasingly harm to the victim.
I left the library. I called the Director of Library Services, Lana Adlawan, who knows Margaret and stated that what I described violated two of the four library policies: "Protect the rights and safety of Marin County Free Library patrons" and "Ensure that access to Library facilities is not negatively impacted by behaviors that create an environment that is unsafe, disruptive, or not conducive to the Library's mission." But Lana made the executive decision that Margaret and I needed to "clear the air"; NOT that Margaret, especially as the manager, needs to apologize and correct her behavior towards me as a patron and the library policies that ensure patron safety. Lana said that she'd call me back the next day; it's now been over a week...nothing.
Patrons deserve better and so do the many, many great librarians who uphold your policies. Lana, you can have competent, appropriate library managers, and their staff will be much more adept at handling harassment as a result as well. Come on! read more
