Academic Librarian Burnout:: Causes and Responses - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0838948561 ISBN 13: 9780838948569

Publisher: Assoc of College & Research Libraries, 2023

Synopsis

Librarianship has been conceptualized as a vocation or calling—rather than a profession—since the 1800s. Within this historical context, librarians are encouraged to think of ourselves as possessing a natural disposition to showing perpetual engagement, enthusiasm, and self-regulation in pursuit of our shared vocation. These assumptions about the profession can sometimes shield us from introspective criticism, but they can also prevent us from recognizing and managing the systemic occupational issues that afflict us.
 
Academic Librarian Burnout can help librarians develop the agency to challenge the assumptions and practices that have led to so much professional burnout. In five thorough parts, it offers ways to discuss burnout in our work environments, studies burnout’s nature and causes, and provides preventative intervention and mitigation strategies:

• Reframing Burnout
• Conditions that Promote Burnout
• Lived Experiences
• Individual Responses to Burnout
• Organizational Responses to Burnout

Chapters explore the relationship of burnout in academic libraries and illness, intersectionality, workload, managerial approaches, and more, while offering real-life stories and ways for both individuals and organizations to address the symptoms and causes of burnout. The emotional, physical, and mental investment we require of librarianship—to go above and beyond to serve the ever-evolving needs of our patrons while perennially justifying our existence to library stakeholders—can come at the expense of our well-being. Academic Librarian Burnout addresses unsustainable work environments and preserves and celebrates the unique contributions of librarians.

About this title

About the Author

Christina Holm is the Teaching & Learning Team Lead, Instruction Coordinator, and a Librarian Associate Professor at Kennesaw State University. With over 9 years of professional experience working in academic libraries and public services, she is passionate about information access, library service design, and advocating for critical reflections into professional practices.
 
Ana Guimaraes is the former Director of Collection Development at Kennesaw State University and currently an Engagement Librarian with SAGE Publishing, Inc. A librarian with over 15 years of public services and collection development experience in academic libraries, including public archives and university special collections, she is passionate about library collections, project management and process improvement, and advocating for staff development and the needs of library employees.
 
Nashieli Marcano is Archivist for Digital Collections at Furman University. Her 14 years of experience in academia has encompassed library research support, instruction, collection development, and project management. Her current work and interests involves digital curation; diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; exploring issues in academic librarianship; and digital scholarship. She holds a doctorate degree in Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Cultures from the University of Pittsburgh.

Edition details

• Publisher: Assoc of College & Research Libraries
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0838948561
• ISBN 13: 9780838948569
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 398
• Editor: Holm Christina, Guimaraes Ana, Marcano Nashieli