Rise in violent incidents taking toll on understaffed Victoria libraries

Violent and threatening disturbances are on the rise at Greater Victoria libraries at a time when the library system is facing critical staff shortages — a combination of challenges union officials warn are taking a toll on staff and patrons.

Last year, the library system saw 732 incident reports filed across its 12 branches, a 200 per cent increase from 2021. The majority of those — 583 incidents — were recorded at the downtown central location.

The reports include a range of incidents, from patrons falling asleep at computers or minor theft to racist name-calling.

Caitlin Ottenbreit, a librarian at the downtown branch and vice-president of the library workers’ union, CUPE410, said the growing disturbances are taking a serious toll on employee well-being. 

“The number of incidents is increasing quite dramatically,” she said. “[It’s] a really significant increased burden on staff.”

It’s an issue many libraries across Canada have been facing in recent years as they work to fill gaps in social services for patrons, including those experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges and addictions.

For Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) workers, the challenge of dealing with more complex needs, and at times disturbances, has been further compounded by a growing staff shortage. 

Ottenbreit said it’s triggering burnout and fatigue, and putting branches at risk of losing more staff.

WATCH | Librarian shares her concerns on rising disturbances: 

The number of violent incidents and general disturbances at Greater Victoria libraries have multiplied in recent years. One librarian and union leader, Caitlin Ottenbreit, says it’s causing burnout and fatigue among workers, especially as they face a serious staffing shortage.

Maureen Sawa, CEO of the GVPL, acknowledged there has been a rise in “security incidents.”

“The nature of the incidents is reflective of, I think, what’s going on in our community today.”

She said they are working to adapt to those challenges. However, labour and library industry experts warn more needs to be done to mitigate the impact on library staff and better equip them to respond to various disturbances. 

20 per cent staffing vacancy

The CBC obtained hundreds of pages of incident reports from the GVPL’s central branch documented from 2022 to 2024, outlining the wide variety of incidents library and security staff encounter.

They describe disturbances that are often quickly resolved — such as patrons smoking in the bathroom, coming in inebriated or having minor disputes over the printer — as well as more severe cases, like theft, violence and harassment.

In one more serious incident report from August 2024, a man allegedly began swearing at security officers after he was told to quiet down. He then read quietly for a time, but began swearing and making racist statements when he saw one of the security officers again. 

When he was told to leave, the man allegedly began throwing books at the officer and the floor. Security called the police, who handcuffed and removed the man from the library. 

In another incident, library staff gave a man a letter telling him he had been banned from the library due to previous behaviour — which he set on fire in the courtyard outside.

Though Ottenbreit said those kinds of disturbances aren’t indicative of the majority of interactions she has at the library, she said it’s a trend staff need more training and resources to properly respond to.

“It’s a lot of the same [front-line] people having to deal with these incidents over and over again,” she said. “We’re also seeing increases in stress leaves and folks leaving to work at other branches, or leaving for other jobs altogether.”

Across the library system at the end of 2024, the GVPL had a 20 per cent staffing vacancy rate. Ottenbreit said that includes 10 vacant roles in front-line positions at the central branch, and that some of the positions have yet to be posted. 

When asked by the CBC, the GVPL declined to provide the number of staff currently on stress leave, citing privacy concerns.

However, Sawa said 12 auxiliary staff started at the library in early January, and front-line staff positions would be posted in the coming weeks. The GVPL also hired a full-time safety and security co-ordinator in September, and is piloting a mobile security unit to assist branches.

Sawa said the staffing shortage is a result of a series of challenges recruiting new workers, including difficulty finding applicants with the required skills. It’s something she said has become a growing concern over the past year, which they hope to address in 2025. 

Burnout ‘likely to accelerate’ if not addressed, expert says

Andrew Appleton, the outgoing chair of the GVPL board, said that across Canada, gaps in social services have fuelled demand for the library as a free, accessible space — one that offers resources like clinics to help people replace or renew IDs and access public computers. This has come along with some challenges.

“Even in my time on the board, we’ve seen the complexity and the needs increase, accelerate,” said Appleton, who has been chair for two years and on the board for six.

Kendra Strauss, director of the labour studies program at Simon Fraser University, said inadequate staffing levels pose a safety risk for patrons and library staff. 

“It’s a profession that people go into out of a real sense of public service and dedication — but the less that people are able to do that part of the job, the harder it will be to retain staff,” she said. “Burnout is really likely to accelerate, and that makes the staffing issues worse as well.”

And adding auxiliary staff — who do not have permanent or full-time work — may not be enough, according to Julia Bullard, an assistant professor in the University of British Columbia’s school of information. She said auxiliary staff are often assigned to shifts on weekends and evenings when incidents can be more frequent, and don’t typically have the job security, training or paid time off needed to recover. 

Push for improvement 

Ottenbreit said she has been advocating for years for all staff to have access to additional de-escalation and stress management workshops to deal with the wide range of incidents they are now facing. 

The GVPL provided Management of Aggressive Behaviour training to some staff in the summer of 2024, and staff in specific roles have access to other training such as courses on homelessness and trauma-informed care.

They also hired a community navigator in July 2024, who submitted a report last fall containing recommendations for the library in coping with the current challenges. 

Some recommendations are underway, the GVPL said, such as de-escalation training and changing the layout of branches to improve safety. Others, including mental health first-aid training, are being considered.

The community navigator resigned in late 2024 and the role is currently vacant.

Sawa said the library plans to change the role, potentially to look more like a social worker, but the position has yet to be posted. 

Surrey libraries have piloted a social worker role with success, according to Bullard. 

When it comes to changes Sawa hopes to see, she said the library already receives “quite good support” from the provincial government, but that she wants other social services built up elsewhere. 

“What we’re all feeling is that it seems more and more that public libraries are the only free, public space that people have to go to — and is that really enough?” she said. 

Ottenbreit hopes that library staff may soon be able to spend more time connecting with the community and working to prevent future incidents, if staffing levels increase.

“All of the librarians are working really hard,” she said. “[But] we’re limited in what we’re able to do … because we’re working at the desk trying to keep [the library] open.”