Burn-out in Public Libraries: A Communication Strategy for supporting Library Workers

Annie Macanulty

Providing a public service to a local community is multi-faceted work; as such, library workers face many sources of stress in their daily tasks (Lindén et al., 2018). Multiple academic studies have identified sources of stress, both internally from the library’s structure and operations and externally from the public and larger parent organizations. These stressors have been identified to contribute to burnout for public library workers, and while burnout is a known problem, there is little discourse identifying ways for libraries to mitigate this issue. With any difficulty resulting from external causes, there is a limit to what can be done in response. However, since several sources of stress contributing to burnout are within the library itself, internal changes and practices can be adopted to create a working environment where librarians and their coworkers are supported against burnout. If librarians can withstand symptoms of burnout, they are likely to remain in their positions longer, need fewer sick days, and have better relationships with coworkers and library users (Martin, 2020b). These positive outcomes will allow libraries to provide higher quality services and establish more substantial relationships with their communities since library workers will be more engaged in their organization.

What is burnout?

Burnout in the workplace is the experience of “feeling emotionally exhausted or drained, possessing cynical attitudes, and having a reduced sense of professional efficacy or accomplishment” (p. 974, Salyers et al. 2019). Bakker and Demerouti’s Job Demands/Resources Model suggests that workers develop burnout when their work demands exceed the resources – tangible, social and psychological – available to them. In their study of workplace structures that contribute to burnout, Lindén et al. (2018) measure the presence of each of the six factors from Maslach and Leiter’s 2004 study: “(a) workload, (b) job control, (c) reward, (d) community, (e) fairness and (f) values,” (p. 200). Each of these six contributors to burnout is subject to at least some (or occasionally considerable) control from within the organization. The Maslach Burnout Index (Lindén et al., 2018, Maslach et al., 2012), measures three symptoms of burnout: overload, cynicism, and emotional exhaustion (Maslach, Leiter and Jackson, 2012).

The Problem of Vocational Awe

Vocational awe is discussed in several of the articles consulted for this paper (Martin, 2020; Vela, 2018; Ettarh, 2018). It is unfortunately a problem that plagues critical discussions of librarianship. Vocational awe is the idea that library work is too important and noble to allow for any criticism of it. This notion also shuts down the discussion of the library as a workplace. As important to any community as a public library is, it is still a workplace and the people who make it function are still workers. Ettarh (2018) notes that vocational awe may contribute to comparatively low wages in libraries compared to similar professions. Martin (2020b) specifies that vocational awe contributes to burnout and low morale in two ways: “One, it creates expectations of the job that are so high they can never be met, causing disillusionment, stress, and burnout. Second, because librarianship is held in such high regard, any problems in the work and workplace are not addressed in a constructive manner,” (p. 26). This block against constructive discussion affects both librarians and library support staff (Ettarh, 2018), which suggests that it affects workplace culture broadly and not merely the profession of librarianship. The literature frequently remarked on the lack of research on burnout in libraries. Martin (2020b) suggests that this lack of acknowledgement may be the result of vocational awe. Martin’s studies, both (2020a) and (2020b), found that library workers were comparably engaged in their work and had comparable job satisfaction with other workers in the United States. This finding breaks down vocational awe by dispelling the notion that public library work inspires greater levels of dedication in its workers than in other professions. While it is difficult to overcome the vocational awe entrenched in public libraries, conversations about quality of work are necessary because staff cannot provide quality library services if their workplace cannot support their well-being.

Burnout in the Library Context

The Maslach Burnout Index (Maslach et al., 2012) has been used to measure workers’ experiences of burnout in several studies of libraries (Lindén et al., 2018; Salyers et al., 2019). It was developed to measure burnout in public-facing workforces generally (Maslach et al., 2012). One study found that a common workplace factor contributing to feelings of burnout is lack of communication (Lindén et al., 2018). CUPE’s Library Sector Profile (2020) mentions a number of difficult workplace factors that mirror Lindén et al.’s (2018) study of Swedish librarians, including precarious work and witnessing violent events in the workplace. Simply working with the public can lead to burnout (Lindén et al., 2018), and indeed CUPE’s profile (2020) states that all of their library workers “provide frontline services” (p 1). The Library Leadership and Management Association (part of the ALA) has acknowledged the need for greater support against burnout in libraries with their online webinar “Burnout Prevention and Mitigation: The Role of Values, Communication, and Job Crafting,” (2020). They cite the fast pace of modern library workplaces as a factor in burnout, which Lindén et al. (2018) describe as “technostress” or the demands of managing information technology and services concurrently.

CUPE (2020) suggests that Canada’s reduced social safety net has caused more community members to live in vulnerable situations, leading to an increased workload for library workers and an increased complexity of services (p 2). An increased workload without related training and support contributes to burnout (Salyers et al. 2019). Workloads are subject to considerable change in modern libraries, with responsibilities that were previously exclusive to librarians shifting on to library paraprofessional staff, but without a commensurate change in pay or responsibility (Martin, 2020a). This shift in working conditions falls under several factors in the Maslach index, including workload, job control, reward and fairness. These issues are under internal control, so it is apparent that burnout can result from library workplace structures.

What Can We Do?

In order to relieve her feelings of burnout, LaPrade (2020) describes her need to perform physical activities not associated with work in order to alleviate stress, especially once she began working from home during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Other sources have also remarked that being able to decompress outside of work is important to overcoming burnout (Salyers et al. 2019). Lindén et al. (2018), however, argue that forcing workers to learn coping mechanisms on their own is inadequate; rather, implementing structural changes within the organization will better support them. Since workplace structures can contribute to workers’ experiences of burnout, and such burnt-out employees are detrimental to the organization’s objectives, libraries need to create structures that support rather than wear out their workers.

The Role of Communication

Communication is clearly a barrier in many libraries; Vela (2018) notes that while communication within professional librarianship is widespread, librarians may be more likely to communicate openly with librarians in distant library systems than with library support staff within their own organization. Open communication habits contribute to an organization’s sense of community, the lack of which Lindén et al. (2018) point to as a source of burnout. It was found that both lack of voice — or an inability to contribute to decision-making processes — and low levels of casual communication contribute to burnout (Lindén et al., 2018). Vela (2018) remarks on a number of potential barriers to communication in libraries, especially between technicians and librarians. The division of labour that has until recently existed between these groups has led to the formation of separate communities of practice. Creating open lines of communication between these communities may require creating new professional cultural ties (Vela, 2018). These cultural barriers between workers may create a challenge when attempting to create better communication culture within the library.

Several studies (Maslach et al. 2012, Martin 2020b, and Lindén et al. 2018) characterize burnout on a spectrum with engagement, where burnout is the furthest negative experience and worker engagement is the highest positive. By this logic, the intended outcome of expanded workplace communication would be increased worker engagement. Martin (2020b) characterizes worker engagement as a close alignment between how workers see themselves and how they see their work; when the workplace’s values align with their own, they find their work motivating and fulfilling. Achieving these outcomes when improving workplace communication is paramount.

A Communication Strategy

Martin (2020b) specifies that communicating the library’s strategic goals and the organization’s objectives to front-line workers has generated higher levels of employee engagement. Ensuring staff and management involved with planning regularly communicate is a possible starting point for any improved communication strategy. While the final “strategic plan” document is openly available, it is still worthwhile to discuss this document with all library workers, especially those in public-facing positions, to ensure that all workers are able to implement its goals equally.

Large-scale information such as strategic goals may be important to share, but in order to create a positive culture of communication, more day-to-day habitual communication is an effective tool. One potential strategy is creating systems of positive feedback. Recognition can contribute to stronger feelings of engagement (Martin, 2020b). Acknowledgement from management when front-line staff have meaningfully contributed to the library’s strategic goals could be helpful. In order to make this kind of positive communication a cultural norm and encourage other positive communications among coworkers, management may wish to implement something like a weekly update email or gathering before library open hours.

Style of communication is also a factor. Petrov and Tipton (2020) suggest that clear, precise directions will alleviate workers’ stress and ease management’s workload because fewer clarifications and discussions will be needed later. They also reccomend setting a schedule for communicating with employees and regularly checking-in with staff to make sure their concerns are being addressed.

Kevin King (2019), a manager at the Kalamazoo Public Library, makes two observations about effective communication strategies. He writes that an open-door communication style puts the onus entirely on workers to approach the office when they need clarification, which may be too intimidating, especially for new employees. He adds that many workers do not communicate their concerns to their manager for fear of creating further problems or wasting time. The strategy suggested above, of creating regular check-ins with staff, helps to make open communication a more established part of the workplace. By creating this space for open discussion, employees will be more comfortable with speaking to their managers about their concerns.

Summary of Suggested Strategies

• Communicate the library’s strategic goals and objectives to all workers

• Recognize positive contributions to the library’s goals and services

• Establish frequent and consistent communication between management and staff

• Provide workers with opportunities to speak rather than placing the onus on them

Conclusion

Burnout is consistently a problem in public-facing professions. In public libraries, this difficult affliction does not receive enough attention to be thoroughly addressed. Several studies have, however, identified that as well as external factors, internal structural difficulties can contribute to feelings of burnout and disengagement for public library workers. One method for mitigating burnout is to establish strategic, consistent communication methods between management and staff, which can foster a workplace culture of positive reinforcement and collegial support. These positive communications can contribute to greater job satisfaction and job clarity so that workers will be supported by their workplace and have systems and resources for coping with cynicism and emotional exhaustion built into their workplace structures.

References

1. CUPE (2020, October 30) Library Sector Profile. https://cupe.ca/sector-profile-library
2. Ettarh, F. (2018, January). Vocational awe and librarianship: The lies we tell ourselves. In the Library with the Lead Pipe. http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/
3. King, K. (2019). Shut Your Door, Walk and Talk! Public Libraries, 58(4), 31–33.
4. LaPrade, Lorraine (2020, September 2). A Step…Step Away from Burnout. Intersections: a blog on diversity, literacy and outreach.http://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/odlos-blog/burnout (Accessed April 16, 2021) Document ID: 3ec9a194-3500-4a97-978a-eefcf92eaeb2
5. Library Leadership and Management Association. (2020, April 17) LLAMA Webinar: Burnout Prevention and Mitigation: The Role of Values, Communication, and Job Crafting. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/llama/llama-webinar-%E2%80%9Cburnout-prevention-and-mitigation-role-values-communication-and-job-crafting%E2%80%9D
6. Lindén, M., Salo, I., Jansson, A. (2018) Organizational Stressors and Burnout in Public Librarians. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 50(2) 199–204 DOI: 10.1177/0961000616666130
7. Martin, J. (2020a) Job Satisfaction of Professional Librarians and Library Staff, Journal of Library Administration, 60(4), 365-382. DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2020.1721941
8. Martin, J. (2020b) Workplace Engagement of Librarians and Library Staff. Journal of Library Administration, 60(1), 22-40. DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2019.1671037
9. Maslach, C., Leiter, M. P., Jackson, S. (2012, February). Making a significant difference with burnout interventions: Researcher and practitioner collaboration. Journal of Organizational Behavior. v 33(2). https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1002/job.784
10. Petrov, T. (2020, December). Away from the Library: How to motivate your team and yourself to stay engaged, inspired and efficient in the time of working remotely. ILA Reporter 38(4).
11. Salyers, M. P., Watkins, M. A., Painter, A., Snajdr, E. A., Gilmer, L. O., Garabrant, J. M., Henry, N. H. (2019). Predictors of burnout in public library employees. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 51(4). pp 974–983.
12. Sarah Vela (PhD Student) (2018) Knowledge Management, Diversity, and Professional Hierarchies in Libraries, Journal of Library Administration, 58:8, 835-860, DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2018.1516950

Annie Macanulty