Professional Development

Burnout effects all types of library staff in a range of positions. There are a range of reasons that cause burn out but the most common include:

• "being all things to everyone" 

• " overworked and underpaid" 

• "No room for rest" 

• lack of training

To combat burnout its important that managers get the proper training they need to help their staff avoid burnout. 

 According to Bryce Kozla, "Trauma-informed librarianship is a philosophy of care, understanding, community building, and service" She goes on to say that the trauma-informed approach is guided by four main assumptions: realization, recognition, response, and resisting re-traumatization. In recent years leading up to the pandemic and especially after the pandemic this concept has been studied and written about extensively.We recommend that managers educate themselves on this topic and start to integrate these concepts into their library through a range of lenses and professional development opportunities.  

How often do you or your library provide training? In order to ensure that library staff is kept up to date and prepared to support the public, trainings should be offered on a regular basis. Many libraries find it challenging to offering training to part time staff. Some staff also are unsure if their managers would consider webinars as something they should be doing during work hours. Supervisors and Directors should strive to create a work culture where lifelong learning is encouraged and expected.