First Responders in Libraries

Librarians are not first responders  Sounds like a perfectly truthful, logical statement.   Who would really expect for a librarian to perform medical emergency acts?  Sure,  librarians save the day with a much needed answer for a test or article book report.  The phrase “thanks!  You saved my life has been whispered to a librarian once or twice.  However, times have changed a bit thanks in part to the Opiod addiction that has made its grip felt on much of the country. Libraries in major cities such as Denver, Detroit and New York City have become out of necessity the defacto  day shelter for the homeless populations.  In that role, comes a new host of problems that have never been faced before.   How does this affect librarians?  Think first responders.  Think Narcan.

In most libraries, the day to day activities are most likely not going to include using life saving measures to help someone who is overdosing on drugs.  The typical day a the library is what most people would expect.  Story times, study partners meeting, book clubs and everything in between.  Since the Opioid crisis began, the drug problems that once seemed to be an “urban” issue now became “everywhere” issue.  Neighborhoods, rich or poor, urban or suburban were affected in some way by the Opioid crisis.   An astonishing number to reflect on is 19%.    That is the percentage of how many people died in the United. States due to overdose.  Astonishing,  isn’t it?    Public libraries began to have the difficult discussions on what to do if a patron becomes unconscious due to an overdose?  Do nothing?  Watch them die?  Try to give medical treatment?

Of course the logical course of action in any emergency in the library is to call 911.  However, in between the call and waiting for help one could feel helpless.  Just like everything else in the world today the thought of law suit comes to mind.  If you try to help and fail, will the library be liable for cause of death.  If the library personal does nothing except call 911 will liability come in again only this time for lack of action?    It’s a tough call but it at the end of the day one has to ask themselves if it's better to bet on the side of life.  Most librarians would most likely agree that it is better to save a life than watch it slip away.

Some public libraries have adopted the policy to only call 911 services in cases of emergency.  Some of the other practices put into place is security monitoring of patrons in the building and providing medical waste canisters in the bathroom to dispose of needles.  One would question why would a public library enable their patrons to "shoot up" in their restrooms.  As one librarian put it, it's not that the library is condoning the practice, it is merely recognizing that they can not stop patrons from doing this in the bathrooms.  By not providing it, needles can end up in discarded in trash, toilets or other unsanitary places where it is does more harm than good.    A better solution would be to have bathrooms monitored and security going through the stacks to discourage the opportunity to “shoot up”.  

This is topic is especially important now because yesterday, President Trump has signed into Law H.R.  6,  The Substance Use Disorder Prevention that  Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT).  This bill aims to help with the interdiction, surveillance and disruption of illegal drugs getting into the country.  One example of how this will happen is that the Postal Service will now be able to screen packages for Fentynol that are coming into the country by way of Mexico and China.   While this is good news and gives hope that that the flow of drugs into the country can be stopped, the addiction is still a serious problem. 

The answers to the Opioid problem is complex and does not seem likely that it will be solved over night.  Legal issues will continue to arise . As professional public servants,  librarians will have to be prepared for whatever cultural problems come through the library doors.  Homeless.   Latchkey children, drug addiction or whatever else awaits on the horizons.  For now, its a safe bet to say that rest of the story has not been played out yet on this topic.