Roma girl in library (QUALED-05-EN)

A young Roma girl of 13 comes to the library. She is looking for a particular book in the Romani language. The library worker at the book counter tells her that they don't have such a book and turns to the next reader. The girl's eyes fill with tears, and she quickly disappears into a far corner of the library, where she bursts into tears, shaking uncontrollably and unable to breathe, breathing convulsively.

Another librarian approaches the shelves where the girl is hiding, wanting to place the returned books there. She spots the girl and speaks to her. She pats her hand and tries to calm her down. She offers her a glass of water. She can see that girl has troubles to concentrate on her questions and form answers. When the girl somehow calms down, she reveals that she is looking for a book that her mother loved and that they don't have it here and she wanted it because her mother died, and other librarian turned her down.

The librarian who approached the girl should empathize with her and validate her feelings. She should acknowledge that girl is going through a difficult time and that it's normal to feel sad and scared. She should avoid minimizing or dismissing her emotions or telling her what she should or shouldn't do.

The librarian should also help the girl regulate her nervous system, which might be dysregulated by the trauma. She should offer her some calming strategies, such as deep breathing, grounding exercises. Librarian should also check if she needs any physical comfort, such as a blanket (sweater) or a drink of water.

The librarian could also ask the girl if she wants to talk about what happened, and if the response is yes, she should listen to her story with compassion and respect. He should not interrupt, judge, or give advice, but rather reflect back what she hears and show interest and curiosity. She should also respect her boundaries and not force her to share more than she is comfortable with.

Librarian should also ask her if she has any trusted adults, such as family members, teachers, or counsellors, that she can talk to about her feelings. She should offer to connect her with any resources or referrals that might be helpful for her.

In the field of librarian work, she should also ask her if she can support the girl with looking for the book. Librarian should explain, that if the book she is looking for, is not available at their library, there is also possibility to search for the book in other libraries or in national library.

The librarian should also advocate for the girl and propose to the management the education for colleagues about trauma and its effects. He should explain to the management that trauma can cause people to react in different ways, and that they need to be sensitive and respectful of the diverse needs and backgrounds of their readers and client. They should also challenge any stereo-types or prejudices that they might have about Roma people and promote a culture of inclusion and diversity in the library.

QUALED