Fanning Flames: Librarians Facing Burnout

Juliette Spurling

Nieves-Whitmore

LS 501

10/20/22
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Fanning Flames: Librarians Facing Burnout

There is no denying that burnout is on the rise in the American workplace. Employees

across the US are reporting increased responsibility, stress, and workload with little to no

increase in compensation. This trend was/is only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organizations that were not equipped to deal with the need for remote work and the onset of

downsizing their operations struggled to keep their businesses afloat. These changing times have

required many individuals to completely transform the way that they operate with little regard

given to the fact that the transitional state of the company is falling on the shoulders of those who

are providing the services on the front lines.

A prime example of this lies within library services. Libraries are centers of information,

service, and culture. The expectations that are placed upon librarians to uphold public good,

social responsibility, access, etc. loom largely over them. These expectations coupled with

workplace responsibilities and climate can be a prime source of burnout.

If librarians are meant to serve these idealistic notions and jointly function within their

realistic job description, then immediate attention is needed to the support and organizational

networks that surround them. If we as Librarians are to uphold the ALA code of ethics in their

practice to “treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and

advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our

institutions” (ALA, 2017), then we need to act upon the already mountainous amount of dialogue

that is taking place around burnout in the American library profession. Simply put, healthier

workplaces equates to more motivated employees which equates to better services provided. In
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order to give our communities the absolute best, we must address the exhaustion facing our

workforce. It is of utmost importance that we not only be open to discussing the issues attributed

to burnout, but also be prepared for the implementation of systemic changes that are needed to

combat it.

As stated, the exhaustion that leads to burnout is primarily due to increased

responsibilities and unrealistic expectations. These unrealistic expectations, whether placed upon

or by the employee, can lead to feelings of unrest and dissipate one’s morale. In the Library

Journal article “Feeling the Burnout” Dixon Claims:

For years, libraries have been a refuge and support for their communities, and even
before the pandemic, library workers expressed concern about the expectation that they
do work better suited to trained social workers in addition to traditional library work.
Staff who were drawn to the profession because of a desire to help others may hesitate to
speak up when they are overwhelmed by demands (Dixon, 2022).
Because of librarians’ nature to be helpful and resourceful, they have gone from information

resource providers to a form of community switchboard operator. Librarians are serving diverse

communities with diverse needs and with or without proper training, no one librarian can

function as a social work practitioner, therapist, tax preparer, etc. and perform their assigned

duties. Not only is this physically impossible, but it is mentally and emotionally draining. Within

the Library Information Science (LIS) profession, this heightened exhaustion can additionally be

attributed to imposter syndrome, vocational awe, and a lack of control over one’s

position/environment. Lindén, Salo, and Jansson conclude that librarians with “too much to do,

poor quality of social interactions and value conflicts between the librarian and the organization”

are at increased risk of burnout (Lindén, Salo, and Jansson, 2018). These unrealistic

expectations- whether placed by the community, administration, or the employee- are key
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contributors to diminishing morale, and these expectations when left unaddressed result in a

workforce that is no longer sustainable.

So how do we fight this compounding exhaustion? Combatting burnout needs to be

approached from a systematic view. Christian argues, “that an important goal of every library

administrator, professional association, and library school should be to address the reality of the

demands of the workplace” (Christian, 2015). This statement places the responsibility of

ensuring a healthy workplace environment in three places, the workplace, the practitioners, and

the education system.

It is foremost that the institutions and supervisor’s be accountable for the (in)action taken

against inhospitable working conditions. Andrews argues “It is not the employees responsibility

alone to ensure that they are maintaining healthy working conditions” (Andrews, 2020). It is not

sufficient or helpful to meet employees facing burnout with self-guided means to improve their

performance. This advanced form of workplace exhaustion is caused by structural issues in the

framework of LIS and will not be resolved by self care alone. From this viewpoint, it is the

workplace’s duty to audit the functional and compensatory aspects of a job and its description,

provide proper avenues for subject matters that may require a subject matter authority, and create

opportunities for professional development.

Library professionals exert a lot of energy to enrich the experience of their patrons. To

ensure that the professional experience of librarians is also enriching, it is important that

librarians take ownership of their career path. As previously stated, it is common that low morale

in these spaces is attributed to imposter syndrome, vocational awe, and a lack of control over

one’s position/environment. It is a practitioner’s responsibility to critically evaluate the position

they hold. Self-doubt is often linked to abusive behaviors in the workplace- not lack of
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competence (Andrews, 2020). Vocational awe needs to be struck down by employees who have

transparent discord about the realities of their work. Finally, It is a practitioner's prerogative to

continue their professional education, to seek out support networks within their institution and

without, and aid in policy development via their professional associations (Sheesley, 2001), to

create ownership over their environment and role. However, it is important to note that in order

for practitioner’s to have access to such privileges, we must first alter the workplace system to

ensure communal resources and financial support for these activities.

Additionally, library schools should be fighting the onset of burnout culture from the

inception of new professionals by focusing on vocational skills in addition to theory and

instilling ALA core values. Lacey and Parlette-Steward cite that, “... library school provides little

guidance on how to transition to the workforce” (Lacey and Parlette-Steward, 2017). They in

turn argue that MLIS programs do not prepare students to face the workplace's high pressure to

succeed which leads to imposter syndrome. With large contributors to burnout being vocational

awe and imposter syndrome, library education providers should be focusing on how to critically

evaluate the health of library workplaces. Students are increasingly in need of skills that allow

them to advocate for themselves in the workplace. To better equip young professionals, MLIS

programs need to assess how their curriculum translates into the library workforce.

This discussion surrounding burnout within the American library system directly

correlates to the American Library Association’s Core Values. LIS professionals and LIS

master’s programs must address the inconsistencies in the development of its young

professionals, the hostility of the workplace environment, and understand that this mass

exhaustion within the profession has shown that LIS practitioners have failed to meet the

standards of the American Library Association’s values of service and professionalism.

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ALA’s statement on service states:

… We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own
knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and
by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession (ALA, 2006).

ALA’s core value of Professionalism reads:

… It is of vital importance that there be professional education available to meet the

social needs and goals of library services. ALA Policy Manual B.7.1 Graduate Programs
in Library and Information Studies (ALA, 2006)

In addition to the core values, the ALA Ethics Policy encourages Library professionals to “treat

co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions

of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees” (ALA, 2017). The issue

of burnout being a widespread issue among librarians dictates that there is a lack of aspiration,

encouragement, and social needs being met. If we are to abide by the assumption that we as

librarians strive to exemplify the ALA values, then we must act on the rampant toxicity that is

pervading the profession, and see to the restructuring of the American library system.

Again, it is of utmost importance that we not only discuss the issues attributed to burnout,

but also implement systemic changes that are needed to combat it. While burnout is not a new

phenomenon, it is a compounding one. If we continue to meet symptoms of low morale with

“self care” and what some would call “toxic positivity” then we will be discrediting librarians,

the LIS profession, and the communities that are served by these institutions (Dixon, 2022).
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Bibliography

American Library Association. “Core Values of Librarianship.” Text. Advocacy,

Legislation & Issues, July 26, 2006.
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/corevalues.

American Library Association. “Professional Ethics.” Text. Tools, Publications &

Resources, May 19, 2017. https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics.

Andrews, N. (2020, June 10). It’s not imposter syndrome: Resisting self-doubt as normal
for library workers. In the Library with the Lead Pipe.
https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ 2020/its-not-imposter-syndrome/

Christian, Linda A. “A Passion Deficit: Occupational Burnout and the New Librarian A
Recommendation Report.” Southeastern Librarian 62, no. 4 (Winter 2015): 2–11.

Dixon, Jennifer A. “Feeling the Burnout.” Library Journal. Accessed October 16, 2022.
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