Renewals is now six years old (the Renewers Facebook community, is also six, and our social media channels on X (Twitter) and Instagram are five years old). Renewals’ Facebook and Instagram communities continue their growth, with member/follower numbers at 2,378 and 1,160 respectively. The X/Twitter community membership has lowered due to ongoing philosophical, content, and cultural shifts on the platform, and our channel there may soon be sunsetted. As this sunset is considered, I’ve added Renewerslis to the Blue Sky and Threads social platforms. If you’re on Blue Sky or Threads, you’re invited to join us (we currently have 67 followers on Blue Sky; 252 on Threads).
I’ve continued reporting on several of my ongoing data collection projects (view the latest briefs), and this year I added a new project:
On May 11, 2023, the United States federal government declared the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Public Health Emergency over. I stopped gathering data for my Low-Morale Experiences & COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Data Collection Project data on that day, and soon I will share the final report sharing data collected from almost 500 library and archives workers during a three-year period. In the meantime, review this project’s periodic updates here).
In late November 2023, the Renewals website underwent a major content and branding redesign that more clearly showcases our mission, values, and services, which are all designed 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. Whether you visited our website before the changes, or if this is the only version you know, I hope you enjoy the changes. One note: if you’ve bookmarked any of our pages and find that you’re getting a 404 error, a quick fix is to take the numerical date – and the forward slash that follows it – out of the URL (e.g., https://renewalslis.com/2021/08/31/ongoing-low-morale-data-collection/ –> https://renewalslis.com/ongoing-low-morale-data-collection/).
Commentary and discussion about workplace morale continues in social media and news – this year I engaged with podcast hosts, and my research was referred to in industry news outlets:
- The Chronicle of Higher Education (May 2023)
- The Librarian Linkover (June 2023)
- IFLA Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL) Blog (September 2023)
- The Hiring Librarians Podcast – Part One (January 2024), Part Two (January 2024)
Since March 2023, I’ve expanded my facilitation pathways – last fall, I was tapped to create a curriculum for and subsequently lead the Virginia Library Association’s 2024 Virginia Library Leadership Academy (VALLA) for a three-day program. In March 2024, I collaborated with a 22-member cohort of emerging formal and informal library leaders. We explored the role of Critical Hope and leadership through engaging conversations, creativity, and visioning activities. Cohort feedback included:
“Kaetrena does a wonderful job of balancing professionalism with humanity. Her presentation was engaging and easy to follow/understand. Kaetrena made it a point to check in on participants, offering moments of feedback and inquiry. It is evident she has positioned herself as an expert voice in this field.”
“I have already used some of the tools we learned in the 24hrs since we left. I intend to focus on building up resources and helping to raise others up as well. I have been reconsidering many aspects of my job with a critical eye toward inclusion and critical hope.“
Organizations invited me to lead Renewals professional development events, including:
- Idaho Commission for Libraries – MOSS Meetup (May 2023)
- South Carolina State Library (May 2023)
- Association of Southeastern Research Libraries’ BIPOC Leadership Development Conference (July 2023)
I was also invited to offer keynotes and webinars to professional library and archives organizations and continuing education providers:
- Maryland Library Association/Delaware Library Association Joint Conference (May 2023)
- WebJunction (June 2023 and October 2023)
- Association of Research Libraries (October 2023)
- Society of Georgia Archivists (October 2023)
- Library Journal/School Library Journal Management (November 2023)
- Librarians Guild (March 2024)
This year I also engaged internationally – in October 2023, I offered a virtual keynote to library workers in Indonesia, hosted by the University of Indonesia’s Central Library. I look forward to traveling internationally and meeting our colleagues in person! 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 one event with Twanna Hodge:
- Exploring the Healing Role of Somatic Experiencing with Xan Goodman (and yoga practice with Kelsa Bartley) – Part 2 (February 2023)
Renewals Coaching is in its third year, and Renewals Executive Coaching is in its second year -and I’m continuing my collaborations with people who want career clarity and/or support as they navigate within or transition from dysfunctional workplaces. Past client Jamia Williams shared her Renewals Coaching experience on her blog, stating, in part:
“…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.”
I’ve also been working with organizational administrative teams who want to signal cohesion and accountability towards functional organizations. If you’re a formal leader who wants to coalesce your executive/administrative team around improving morale, Renewals Roundtable may be for you.
To increase my coaching effectiveness, I earned several certifications, including the completion of a training program from Coach U and just over 12 hours of Continuing Education Unit (CEUs)/certificates from the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM). The Coach U program curriculum is intensive and includes almost 80 hours of training, along with group coaching, mentor coaching, and a successful performance evaluation at the Associate Certified Coaching level. The NICABM CEUs/certifications I successfully completed are:
- How to Work with Feelings of Defectiveness (9 CEUs)
- How to Work with Shame (4 CEUs)
The NICABM courses gave me insight into expanded strategies to help people recovering from abuse and neglect, and offered resources for me to tap into as I uncover new aspects to research about the phenomenon of low-morale experiences. Contact me for a free coaching consultation!
I remain deeply thankful to be able to 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 I am looking forward to expanding my courage in the coming year. This update is offered in honor/memory of my maternal grandmother, Lillian (Dennis) Delaney Edney (1925 – 2022), who filled my earliest memories and life with examples of love, compassion, and the pursuit of clarity and joy. Today is her 99th birthday.
I will continue to improve. Please look forward to it.
All Best,
P.S. Today, I’m opening subscriptions to our forthcoming newsletter! Join the list now to get the first (or next) issue when it drops. In the issues, you’ll get access to information and tools that can support you during or after your low-morale experience or as you transition to a new workplace or career. See you there – and if you’d like to see our progress throughout the years, browse prior Anniversary updates!
