An exploratory survey measuring burnout among academic librarians in the southeast of the United States

Abstract

PurposeThe main purpose of this work is to uncover and identify the issues that academic librarians consider important in the attainment of work–life balance. This work will focus on exploring their experiences with different dimensions of burnout.Design/methodology/approachThe topic of burnout is explored by analyzing the results of a survey based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which was distributed among librarians at a group academic institutions that are members of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL).FindingsThe findings of this study do not demonstrate evidence of burnout among the sample population. However, the results do present plenty of opportunities for further exploration such as the relationship between burnout and personal factors, including LGBTQA + status and race or ethnic minority status.Research limitations/implicationsFurther exploration of the topic of burnout should be followed up with more qualitative studies, especially those employing interviews.Practical implicationsImprovement of human resource practices, which reduces the incidence of burnout among academic librarians, is something that can only be accomplished at the organizational level. Human resource practices can create a work environment that enhances productivity by improving the quality of life of employees.Originality/valueThis work explores and assesses academic librarian burnout, among those working in academic institutions in the southeastern United States. To date, no study has been undertaken that looks at burnout across broad types of work performed by academic librarians and librarians at different institutions.

Liaising in the 21st Century: The Shifting Role of the Education Librarian

“…Their survey indicated that 70% of US academic librarians are sometimes, often, or always burned out; and almost 50% are experiencing work-related burnout (Wood et al, 2020). Although Colon-Aguirre and Webb (2020) did not find evidence of overall burnout within their sample population of academic librarians in the Southeast US, they did find higher levels of job exhaustion and cynicism, which are contributors to overall burnout in younger librarians and those who were unmarried or without children. This potential risk of burnout and the factors that may contribute to it could also be a future research topic.…”

Voices of the Stacks: A Multifaceted Inquiry into Academic Librarians' Tweets

“…Researchers have identified triggering events and behaviors, such as workplace abuse by managers and administrators, as potential causes for low morale and burnout among librarians. Relatively little data has been collected in this area thus far, with the largest and only quantitative study by Colon-Aguirre and Webb (2020) garnering 525 full responses.…”

“…Job satisfaction, morale, and burnout among librarians and library workers have become favored topics among library and information science researchers (Colon‐Aguirre & Webb, 2020; Falcone & McCartin, 2022; Kendrick, 2017; Kendrick & Damasco, 2019; Martin, 2020). The recent surge in such studies reflects broader societal concerns about social justice and institutional accountability, especially in the US academy (Lopez, 2021; Rothman & Barraza Mendoza, 2021; Wilder, 2013).…”

“…Recent literature on academic librarians' job satisfaction and morale has delved into the phenomenology of workplace morale, examining the experience of low morale among librarians (Kendrick, 2017) and the extent to which marginalized groups experience it (Kendrick & Damasco, 2019). Furthermore, research has investigated the extent of “burnout” – the end state of low morale – among academic librarians (Colon‐Aguirre & Webb, 2020). Research suggests that although low morale and burnout are real phenomena, they are not experienced at particularly high rates by academic librarians.…”

Manager Perspectives on the Prevalence, Impact, and Management of Work-Related Burnout in Academic Library Technical Services Workers

“…24 Colon-Aguirre and Webb's analysis includes all roles in academic libraries, including technical services, but they did not find that technical services staff were impacted by burnout in a significant way. 25 Although research has been steadily published on the overall burnout trends in libraries, causes of burnout, recognizing burnout, etc., few studies have followed through on how to mitigate and prevent burnout. Qualitative studies sharing experiences, ideas, and opinions on how to prevent and mitigate burnout in libraries are much more common than quantitative approaches.…”