Providing customer service in libraries unfortunately exposes library workers at times to tense and even hostile interactions. This session will focus on helping library workers to set appropriate boundaries with patrons and to care for themselves during and after those hard moments. By learning to recognize their own symptoms of fight, flight and freeze; to soothe their nervous systems in moments of dysregulation; to embrace curiosity instead of shame about their physical and emotional responses to stress; to talk about problems in ways that help instead of hurt; and to re-establish feelings of safety, library workers can come away from these experiences feeling empowered and better prepared for the next difficult interaction.
