PRESENTATION
Presentation Title:
Understanding Workplace Violence in the Australian Library Sector
Presenter:
Associate Professor Jane Garner
Date:
Tuesday 12 May 2026 | 12pm – 12:30pm
Presentation Description:
Across Australia, library staff increasingly face occupational violence and aggression from members of the public, students, and even colleagues. These experiences—ranging from verbal abuse to physical assault—pose serious risks to staff wellbeing, service quality, and organisational resilience. Despite widespread concern, there has been no national study documenting the prevalence, nature, and impact of these incidents or assessing how effectively libraries are responding.
This presentation will share the findings of Understanding workplace violence in the Australian library sector—the first comprehensive, national research project exploring workplace safety across Australian public and academic libraries. Conducted in partnership with the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), the Australian Public Library Alliance (APLA), and the Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL), this project provides an evidence base to inform policy, training, and organisational practice in this critical area.
The research investigates three key questions:
- What is the prevalence and nature of Occupational Violence and Aggression incidents experienced by public and academic library staff?
- How effectively do current policies, procedures, and training prepare staff to manage and respond to these incidents?
- What organisational factors contribute to or mitigate workplace safety concerns in different library settings?
The study uses three national surveys – of frontline staff, branch or service managers, and senior leaders – to map the scope and nature of occupational violence and aggression, assess the adequacy of existing supports, and identify examples of effective risk management. Data collection is occurring throughout late 2025, with findings to be analysed and reported in early 2026. The ALIA National Conference will be the first opportunity to share and discuss these results with the sector.
Associate Professor Jane Garner
Researcher and educator, Charles Sturt University
Presenter Bio
Associate Professor Jane Garner is a researcher and educator at Charles Sturt University whose work focuses on the human experience of library work, staff wellbeing, and the social role of libraries. She has conducted extensive research into both public and prison libraries, examining their impact on their communities and staff. Jane has published widely and presented at national and international conferences including IFLA, ALIA, and VALA. Her current projects include Understanding workplace violence in the Australian library sector and a second study: Identifying Australian models of library social work: Informing future practice investigating models of social work delivery in Australian public libraries – what works, the challenges, and how these models can best support staff and vulnerable users.