Scotland: Public Library Staff ‘Increasingly Forced to Deal with Antisocial Behaviour’

From STV:

Research by public services trade union Unison Scotland found almost half (49%) of workers surveyed said they were worried about antisocial behaviour or violence at work.
The union linked the problem with the expansion of libraries into digital services and the changing nature of the service expected by users.
Its report, entitled Read It and Weep, said: “The issue of having to deal with anti-social behaviour is clearly both serious and growing for staff in public libraries.
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“In our surveys, staff frequently point out that libraries are where people deal online with a variety of public agencies over issues such as benefits.
“There are many accounts of customers taking out their frustrations on library staff when interactions with the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) or similar haven’t gone the way they would like.

Read the Complete Article
Direct to Full Text Report Discussed in Article:
“Read it and Weep: Scotland’s Library Staff Speak Out”
12 pages; PDF. Published by UNISON Scotland (Biggest Trade Union in Scotland).
See Also: Scotland: All Children in Scotland Could Automatically Become Library Members Under New Scheme (August 25, 2015)
See Also: A National Strategy For Public Libraries in Scotland Published Today (June 2, 2015)

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