Burnout Strategies for Librarians

Harwell, Kevin

doi:10.4324/9781315877334-17

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…High workload or overload features heavily in the research as a stressor that leads to burnout. 39 Among other practices previously discussed, most managers (79.37%) reported making general accommodations to try and reduce the work stress of overloaded employees. Other efforts to address work stressors included flexibility to accommodate the employee's personal life needs (91.27%) and intervening to resolve stressors related to the work environment (76.98%).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Kennedy¹,

McGurr²,

Garewal³

2022

LRTS

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Work-related burnout has been studied for decades across multiple industries, including librarianship. However, few studies have evaluated burnout in technical services workers. This study surveys academic library technical services managers to learn their perspective on the prevalence and impact of burnout on technical services workers. Managers observed a high incidence of burnout in their direct reports. The negative impacts of burnout on employees (e.g., personal health) and the organization (e.g., performance decline) are discussed. Managers’ typical practices are evaluated through the lens of burnout prevention and mitigation. Documentation of the typical practices of academic library technical services managers is provided to assist current managers in self-evaluating their practices with peers. Overall, technical services managers are using thoughtful and research supported practices that can have a positive impact on the mitigation and prevention of work-related burnout.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Kennedy¹,

McGurr²,

Garewal³

2022

LRTS

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“…These independent variables may contribute to the onset of burnout including sex, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and family situation. The available literature on work burnout indicates that these aspects may be contributors to the onset of burnout, although they occur independent of work (Harwell, 2008) (see Table 4).…”

Section: Burnout Indicators According To Area Of Work In the Librarymentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Colón‐Aguirre

Webb

2020

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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.

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“…In the LIS field, burnout prevention interventions have not been created or assessed, although McCormack's 2013 book presents ideas for managing burnout at an organizational level in LIS settings [21]. Personal stories from LIS professionals present individualized approaches, such as saying "no," mediating, and changing jobs [22][23][24][25][26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A workplace well-being game intervention for health sciences librarians to address burnout

Casucci

Locke

Henson

et al. 2020

jmla

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Objective: The authors measured burnout among health sciences librarians at our institution and determined whether a serious game intervention could improve personal and workplace well-being.Methods: A modified American Medical Association Mini-Z burnout survey was administered to library faculty in 2016 and both library faculty and staff in 2017. A three-month team-based game was implemented and assessed as an intervention to improve well-being among library employees. After the game, the burnout survey was re-administered to employees in 2018.Results: Library faculty scored poorly on burnout indicators, with 38%–73% of faculty reporting emotional exhaustion and 54%–91% reporting job-related stress over the years. In 2017, 62% of library staff members reported experiencing burnout and 38% indicated they felt a great deal of stress because of their jobs. Regarding the game intervention, 70% of post-game survey respondents reported that the game encouraged them to socialize with colleagues. Qualitative coding of survey responses resulted in 4 themes describing the most enjoyable aspects of the game: sociability, motivation, game play, and fun. Employees found that the game was a useful strategy for encouraging a more social culture with fun activities.Conclusions: Similar to previous studies of librarians and health professionals, health sciences librarians at our institution experienced burnout. Although the game intervention did not significantly reduce burnout or increase job satisfaction, it improved collegiality and recognition. Therefore, a workplace well-being game can encourage team building but may not sufficiently address the root causes of health sciences librarian burnout.

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Burnout Strategies for Librarians

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

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

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

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

A workplace well-being game intervention for health sciences librarians to address burnout

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