Providing Trauma-Informed Services in Small and Rural Libraries

In recent years, many have realized the importance of better understanding the effects of trauma. When the library services we provide are informed by a basic knowledge of how traumatic experiences and traumatic stress may impact the people we are serving, things are likely to turn out better. However, while more libraries are adding social workers to their staff, those in small and rural libraries may be wondering how they can adopt a trauma-informed approach, without access to the resources that a larger library or a library in an urban community may have.

In this course, tailored to the needs and perspective of those in libraries serving small and/or rural communities, you will learn to:

• Define trauma
• Describe the long-lasting impact of adverse childhood experiences
• Identify ways library staff can work together to stay engaged and healthy while frequently working with people who have experienced challenges, suffering, and trauma
• List symptoms of compassion fatigue
• Apply a trauma-informed approach to one-to-one interactions
• Think beyond one-to-one interactions and incorporate knowledge of trauma into library services, programs, policies, and practices
• Identify potential community partners to support a trauma-informed approach to library services
• Discover relevant resources in small and rural communities

Course Description: This four-week course will include two interactive online sessions:

• Thursday, Nov 19, 2020 at 10 AM Pacific, 11 AM Mountain, Noon Central, 1 PM Eastern
• Thursday, Dec 3, 2020 at 10 AM Pacific, 11 AM Mountain, Noon Central, 1 PM Eastern

The online sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend during the scheduled time.

In addition to the scheduled sessions, the instructor will resources, examples, and useful tips and techniques that can be applied as you work to adopt a trauma-informed approach to meeting the needs of your small or rural community. During the course, you will participate in discussion forums, with an opportunity to share your experiences and questions, alongside others who are working in small and rural libraries. Through assignments, you will apply the concepts to your own library and community.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

• Week 1: What is trauma?
  • What does it mean to be trauma-informed?
  • What is the ACEs?
• Week 2: Addressing compassion fatigue
  • What is compassion fatigue?
  • How can we recognize it? …avoid it? And help overcome it?
• Week 3: Trauma Informed Library Interactions and Services
  • Using a trauma-informed approach to your one-to-one interactions
  • Taking a trauma-informed approach to library services, programs, and policies
• Week 4: Identifying Partners and Resources in Your Community
  • Potential partners in small and rural communities
  • Finding resources in small and rural communities

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2 hours per week, for a total of eight course hours.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone working in small and rural public libraries.

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at: infopeople.org/training/online_learning_details.

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for one more week, and the course material will stay up for an additional week after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

Are you a member of ARSL? If so, you may be able to sign up for a free seat in this course. Limit is four free seats per course. Make your request here and if a free seat is available you will be notified.

Keywords: rural libraries, trauma-informed