Our online world makes negativity tough to avoid—between political division, online harassment, and a growing culture of incivility, creating a positive online presence is becoming more and more challenging. Library staff must balance the library’s online presence in an uncivil atmosphere with both the needs of their institution and their own mental health.
In this course, Richard Moniz and Jo Henry will explore research on online bullying and harassment and tie that information directly to practical application for both the library as an institution and the staff member as an individual. Students will explore how libraries can implement policies and procedures to handle difficult online situations and learn to assess when to engage and when to avoid. Students will consider the role of library leadership in preparing employees for difficult online interactions and explore ways that library employees can be proactive with self-care. In this highly collaborative and interactive course, the participants will use a combination of reading and viewing materials and direct student input.
After participating in the course, you will be able to:
- Identify what online bullying and harassment looks like
- Understand what library policies may exist or be implemented for dealing with online attacks
- Understand how to navigate online incivility
- Understand how library leaders can help prepare staff for difficult interactions on social media or through other means
- Understand how to prioritize self-care when dealing with difficult circumstances
Richard Moniz, EdD is the Director of Library Services for Horry-Georgetown Technical College. Previously, he served as Director of Library Services for Johnson & Wales University's North Miami campus from 1997-2004 and Director of Library Services at Johnson & Wales University's Charlotte campus 2004-2018. He has taught undergraduate classes such as Introduction to Computer Science, Microcomputer Applications, World History from 1500 to Present, U.S. History to 1877, and American Government. Additionally, since 2006, he has served as an adjunct instructor for the MLIS program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Courses taught have included Information Sources and Services, Special Libraries, Library Management and Administration, Information Sources in the Professions, and Online Bibliographic Information Retrieval. He is actively engaged in the profession and has held a number of committee and board responsibilities with ALA, LLAMA, ACRL, CLS, SCLA, SCTEA, and Metrolina Library Association in addition to non-profit organizations such as Carolina Raptor Center, Charlotte Museum of History, and Charlotte's Arts & Science Council. Dr. Moniz has published in numerous periodicals such as College & Undergraduate Libraries, Journal of Library Management, North Carolina Libraries, Library Journal, and Library Leadership & Management. He is sole author of the textbook Practical and Effective Management of Libraries (2010), co-author of Cultivating Civility: Practical Ways to Improve a Dysfunctional Library (2020), The Dysfunctional Library: Challenges and Solutions to Workplace Relationships (2018), Fundamentals for the Academic Liaison (2014), co-author and co-editor of The Personal Librarian: Enhancing the Student Experience (2014), and co-author of The Mindful Librarian: Connecting the Practice of Mindfulness to Librarianship (2016). He also has a contributed chapter in Mid-Career Library & Information Professionals: A Leadership Primer (2015 edition).
Jo Henry is reference and instruction librarian at the Horry-Georgetown Technical College Library (Georgetown Campus) in South Carolina. Previously, she was a librarian at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the information services librarian at South Piedmont Community College. Ms. Henry obtained a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a Master of Public Administration from Georgia Southern University. She has published in Journal of Library Administration, College & Research Libraries News, Public Services Quarterly, Library Review, and Community & Junior College Libraries and has presented at the ALA Annual Conference, North Carolina Library Association Conference, South Carolina & Southeastern Library Association Joint Conference, and Metrolina Library Association Conference. She has co-authored five books: Fundamentals for the Academic Liaison (2014), The Personal Librarian: Enhancing the Student Experience (2014), The Mindful Librarian (2016), The Dysfunctional Library: Challenges and Solutions to Workplace Relationships (2017), and Cultivating Civility: Practical Ways to Improve a Dysfunctional Library (2020).
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