Naloxone in the LIS Classroom: An Opioid Overdose Identification and Response Solution for GLAM Workers

With the defunding of harm reduction programs, and supervised consumption sites across Ontario, Canada, already vulnerable individuals in our communities are at an increased risk of death and exposure to political and social hostility. As one of the few remaining free and public spaces that welcome everyone, libraries provide access to the vital infrastructural dignities of heat, running water, washrooms, and social connection. But even more, libraries are in a unique position to help save lives. This article presents a case study of a focused intervention designed to prepare future library professionals for the very real possibilities of overdoses in the library workplace. Specifically, we share lessons from developing and implementing the first LIS course-based training on opioid overdose recognition and emergency response including in required graduate-level LIS education in North America. In doing so, we illustrate a novel strategy that builds awareness of the toxic drug supply crisis, its pressing effects on the communities we serve, and provides direct and practical education for the next generation of library professionals to tackle opioid overdoses in the library. While this intervention is not a panacea, we argue that this pre-professional education for future library professionals is an effective complement to a broader strategy by the library sector to prepare library professionals for the reality of their workplaces and their capacity to save lives.