Sexual harassment at University of California Libraries: Understanding the experiences of library staff members
Abstract
Poster presented at the 2021 Mountain Pacific Health Science Libraries Conference.
In the first study measuring sexual harassment experiences of academic library employees at a single institution, we conducted a census of 1,610 non-student employees at the 10-campus University of California Libraries system. This anonymous online survey measured how sexual harassment was experienced and observed in terms of behaviors, exhibitors, reporting and disclosure, institutional support and betrayal, and recommendations for future actions. Out of 579 respondents, 54% experienced and/or observed sexual harassment at work, 74% did not report their experiences, and University of California Libraries staff were the most frequently reported exhibitors of sexual harassment behaviors. Respondents recommended training, workplace culture change, support from leadership, and clear reporting processes in order to address sexual harassment at University of California Libraries. We aim to raise awareness of this issue and provide tools for health sciences librarians interested in beginning conversations about addressing sexual harassment in their libraries.