Hate Groups and Violence in Libraries

The Libraries Respond: Hate Crimes and Libraries resource addressed actions of how to respond to hate motivated incidents in libraries. This resource: Hate Groups and Violence in Libraries focuses on responding to and preventing violence in libraries.

What are Hate Groups?

A hate group is a social group that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other designated sector of society.

What are Hate Crimes?

The Department of Justice aggressively prosecutes hate crimes, which include acts of physical harm and specific criminal threats motivated by animus based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

Hate crimes have a devastating effect beyond the harm inflicted on any one victim. They reverberate through families, communities, and the entire nation, as others fear that they too could be threatened, attacked, or forced from their homes, because of what they look like, who they are, where they worship, whom they love, or whether they have a disability.

Hate Crimes Defined by the Department of Justice

Resources from ALA

• Gun Violence and Libraries: Safety and Security for the Library Public from ALA Library Libguides
• Violence Prevention in the Public Library from the Public Library Association
• Emergency Preparedness from the Public Library Association
• Resolution on Gun Violence Affecting Libraries, Library Workers, and Library Patrons
• Resolution against Islamaphobia

ALA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statements

• ALA condemns racism and violence in Charlottesville
• ALA and affiliates issue joint statement on libraries and equity, diversity, and inclusion
• ALA strongly protests rollback of protections for our nation's transgender students
• ALA President Julie Todaro releases statement on Libraries, the Association, Diversity and Inclusion

Additional Resources

• "Libraries Invent in Active Shooter Training: Being Prepared and Taking Precautions Against Senseless Acts of Violence" article in American Libraries, June 8, 2015.
• "Active Shooter Policies in Libraries: ALA Annual 2016" article in Library Journal, July 5, 2016
• Hate Map from the Southern Poverty Law Center
• Anti Defamation League: Combat Hate & Protect Communities
• Hate Symbol Database from the Anti Defamation League
• Active Shooter Preparedness Program Fact Sheet