Steven Bell presented at the 2020 Library 2.0 Conference, wherein he discussed his concerns about employee disengagement and leadership problems in libraries. Noting the original 2017 study and the 2019 study, Bell asserts that library leaders must identify, develop, and apply a humane leadership style that supports employees authentically. View the presentation.
Renewals Reach: Soft skills for library leaders Read More »
Bilginoğlu & Yozgat’s study delves into the nature and role of gossip in workplaces and their study tracks relationships between gossip and morale, and the impact of gossip on employees’ work engagement. The 2017 study is noted within their discussion of workplace morale. Review article (note: written in Turkish).
Renewals Reach: Gossip’s impact on morale Read More »
Leebaw and Logsdon delve into academic librarians’ perceptions of and experiences with academic freedom protections, making links to faculty status protections and their effectiveness when librarians are challenged. When looking at perceptions of punishment, they found that librarians’ responses had “there is significant overlap in both experiences and impacts.” Read the article.
Renewals Reach: Academic freedom Read More »
Kelly Jo Woodside, a consultant with the Massachusetts Library System, offers a short presentation on how (in)consistent communication impacts performance management. She notes the experiential definition of low morale (Kendrick 2017), discusses the different approaches to employee feedback and development methodologies, and offers context of common, but overlooked human responses to change in library organizations.
Renewals Reach: Performance management in libraries Read More »
Barnett and Wittenstein highlight the gap between the stated American Library Association and Association of College and Research Libraries value of diversity and persistent Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) underrepresentation in the field. Using Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) methodologies, they created and implemented a protocol designed to discover best practices for integrating
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Andrews shares the definition of impostor syndrome and summarizes the topic’s entry into LIS practice and research. She underscores that this phenomenon exposes problems in library systems, culture, and how we perceive &/or promote LIS mythologies and values – and not failings of individual library employees. Read the article.
Renewals Reach: Resisting impostor syndrome in LIS Read More »
Walker and Watkins offer a qualitative study resulting in a model of toxic leadership informed by those who follow toxic leaders. The original study is cited as part of a global concern among those concerned with improving leadership in various workplaces. Review the article (possible paywall).
Renewals Reach: lived experiences of toxic leadership Read More »
This past Spring on her blog, Bryce Kozla discusses the impetus for creating and presenting a webinar titled “Being trauma-informed during a pandemic,” which she led this past April for an online conference. In addition to setting boundaries for discussion of the webinar content, Kozla also underscored that BIPOC communities have been more heavily impacted
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Lischer-Katz discusses the invisible labor of technical service work in libraries, specifically digitization work. He chronicles the mental and physical labor that is required for this work, highlighting the significant coordination required of both faculties to complete such work. The original low morale study is highlighted in Lischer-Katz’s discussion on expanding his study, noting that
Renewals Reach: Technical labor Read More »
Warren and Scoulas delve into evolving job advertisements for special collections professionals working in public services; specifically, how these positions have changed and may invoke job creep, which can lead to burnout. Access the article (paywall).
Renewals Reach: Job ad analysis for Special Collections professionals Read More »