Well-Being in the Library Workplace: A Handbook for Managers

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.