Today Renewals is five years old! We’re also recognizing the five year anniversary of the Renewers Facebook community, and the three-year anniversary of Renewals’ Twitter and Instagram communities. Renewals communities have continued growing – respectively, our Facebook community, now has 2,054 members, Twitter: 1,311, and Instagram: 940. Also, data collection projects have continued and/or commenced, and I’ve expanded Renewals services that confirm its mission to reconnect people and organizations to their purpose, create empathetic strategies, and center positive and wholehearted outcomes for the improvement, integrity, and humanity of our workplaces.
I also am continuing to gather and report data on various aspects of low-morale experiences. This year I added one project:
As a reminder, I will cease gathering data on low-morale experiences during COVID-19 when the United States federal government ends its formal recognition of the Pandemic. If you’d like to participate, please do so before that time.
My insight on workplace morale continues to be sought after in media – in June 2022, I was included in American Libraries’ lead article, “Quitting Time,” wherein I discussed the role of the Pandemic on library worker attrition (note: the original [print] article mis-represented my discussion of self-preservation, and the online version was updated to clarify my stance on this important skillset/countermeasure for low morale).
Organizations invited me to lead Renewals professional development events, including:
- Washington Research Library Consortium (April 2022)
- Massachusetts Library Association (May 2022)
I was also invited to offer keynotes or panels/interviews to professional library and archives organizations:
- Massachusetts Library Association (May 2022)
- Association of College & Research Libraries – Louisiana Chapter Summer Research Forum (July 2022)
- Society of Georgia Archivists (October 2022)
- Institute of Research Design in Librarianship Online Conference (November 2022)
I am scheduled for additional facilitated events and public speaking this year, so please follow this blog to keep updated, and be sure to contact me for public speaking, interviews, and more.
Low-morale experiences deeply impact people’s mental health, and these impacts are more deeply and broadly felt by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. To that end, I continued my efforts to build sustainable safer spaces for this group to share their experiences in real time via the BIPOC in LIS Mental Health Summits. During this reporting period, I’ve co-led/co-organized two events with Twanna Hodge:
- Exploring the Healing Role of Somatic Experiencing with Xan Goodman – Part 1 (October 2022)
- Exploring the Healing Role of Somatic Experiencing with Xan Goodman (and yoga practice with Kelsa Bartley) – Part 2 (February 2023)
You can review presenter and attendee-generated resources at the BIPOC in LIS Mental Health Summit Community Record.
Through Renewals Coaching, I’ve continued collaborating with people who are seeking career clarity and/or support as they navigate within or transition from dysfunctional workplaces. E. Callahan shared the following about her Renewals Coaching experience:
“…It is so clear that Kaetrena knows the ins and outs of the struggles library workers are contending with… I felt heard and validated, but also got immediate tools to help me reframe my situation in ways that don’t perpetuate negativity or sap the energy I need for progress and change.”
Building on this purpose and similar feedback from other clients, this year, I expanded Renewals Services to include coaching for organizational groups, and individual coaching for formal leaders:
I remain deeply thankful to be able to do this work and continuously identify ways for workers dealing with low morale to find validation and victory in their recovery. I am grateful for the encouragement and support of my colleagues, mentors, family, and friends, and am looking forward to expanding my courage in the coming year.
In addition to this blog, you are welcome to keep up with my formal research, speaking engagements, and other work here. I will continue to improve. Please look forward to it.
All Best,
