"This collection engages with contributors who are heralding new approaches for compassionate, trauma-informed, and empathetic strategies that normalize well-being in library workplaces and their connected organizations' cultures"--
From this essential guide, managers will learn concrete steps for creating and maintaining a supportive, productive work environment that supports well-being among library staff.
Fostering well-being in today's library workplaces is no longer a luxury but a necessity, particularly for managers tasked with guiding and supporting their teams. Amidst budget cuts, attempts to ban or restrict books, attacks on library staff online and in-person, and potentially hostile and aggressive patrons, taking care of ourselves and our staff by putting good policies and practices into place is more important than ever. In this book, Newman and her expert contributors will lead you through creating an environment that nurtures the health, satisfaction, and well-being of its workers and helps prevent or reduce the internal factors that create an unhealthy workplace. You will receive actionable advice on
- navigating the pitfalls of vocational awe, which can lead to unrealistic expectations and self-neglect;
- setting and recalibrating healthy boundaries;
- approaching difficult conversations by creating spaces for positive staff communication;
- overcoming limited budgets;
- the proper mindset for encouraging realistic performance expectations among employees;
- using recognition, appreciation, and staff professional development as tools for wellness;
- nurturing social connections and collaboration to combat loneliness;
- effective techniques for addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, confronting anti-fat bias, and moral injury;
- emotional and invisible labor mitigation; and
- self-care methods for library leaders at risk of burnout.
Foreword: Kaetrena Davis Kendrick
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Building a Foundation of WellnessStrategies to Build a
Well-Being-Centric Culture in Libraries, Bobbi L. Newman
Chapter 1
Setting the Tone: Encouraging Boundaries for Better Workplace Outcomes in
Academic Libraries
Ariel Turner and Shamella Cromartie
Chapter 2
Diving into Difficult Conversations: Creating Space for Staff Communication
Hannah Kukal Curtiss
Chapter 3
Tell Me More: Communication as a Cornerstone of Flourishing
Peggy Griesinger and F. Elizabeth Nicholson
Chapter 4
Advocacy for Staff Wellness: Fostering a Culture of Well-Being on a Limited
Budget
Michelle E. Jones and Angiah L. Davis
Chapter 5
Not an Emergency Room: A Mindset for Encouraging Realistic Performance
Expectations Among Employees
Amanda Darby
Chapter 6
Recognition and Appreciation: Building a Positive Workplace Culture
Margie Sheppard and Katie Pierce-Farrier
Chapter 7
Solutions for Library Workspaces: Emphasizing Ergonomics to Support
Employee Wellness
Alexandra Hauser, Sarah Mainville, Andrea McMillan, and Jennifer Brandon
Chapter 8
Nurturing Social Connections and Collaboration
Becky Libourel Diamond, Dee Magnoni, Sue Oldenburg, and L. M. Miller
Chapter 9
Professional Development IS a Wellness Program
Donald W. Crankshaw
Chapter 10
The Healing Effect of Social Connections: Librarians Addressing Loneliness
and Building More Connected Lives
Loida Garcia-Febo
Chapter 11
Disability and Wellness in the Workplace
JJ Pionke
Chapter 12
Confronting Anti-Fat Bias to Create More Inclusive Libraries
Meg Galasso
Chapter 13
Addressing Moral Injury in Librarianship: A Call for Ethical Leadership
Alejandro Marquez and Teresa McGinley
Chapter 14
That Extra Layer of Stress: Strategies Managers Can Use to Help Mitigate
the Emotional and Invisible Labor Within Their Teams
Sara E. Wright
Chapter 15
Leaders and Burnout: Protecting Your Employees from You
Suzanne Macaulay
Chapter 16
Build the Foundation: Trust
Corey Ha
Chapter 17
Im Supporting My Employees . . . Arent I?
Christina Holm
Chapter 18
Do Your Work in the Mirror
Heather James
Conclusion
ReflectionsCultivating Well-Being in the Library, Bobbi L. Newman
About the Contributors
Index
Bobbi L. Newman (she/her) is a librarian, Certified Wellness Practitioner, and workplace well-being expert dedicated to helping libraries create environments where individuals feel empowered, supported, and free to bring their best selves to work. Bobbi specializes in evidence-based strategies to cultivate psychologically safe workplaces that foster trust, collaboration, and open communication. As a consultant, speaker, instructor, coach, and well-being advocate, her comprehensive approach includes workshops, keynote presentations, strategic consulting, and coaching to help organizations establish sustainable practices that reduce burnout, increase engagement, and ensure team members feel genuinely valued. Author of the book Fostering Wellness in the Workplace: A Handbook for Libraries, she also writes about workplace well-being on her blog, Librarian by Day, and is a sought-after speaker at state, national, and international conferences.
