Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S.
Reflection Prompts:
Consider the following ideas, which may help you engage in our Colloquium discussion. NOTE: You do not have to write out any responses. If you like, consult the cited resources in the list that follows these prompts.
Reflection 1: Berg, Galvan & Tewell discuss resilience narratives as tropes and expectations that that place library employees in the position of taking individual responsibility for gaps in systems or reductions of organizational resources. (2018). During the COVID-19 pandemic, library workers have experienced exposure to language and expectations surrounding resilience narratives (e.g. “do more with less”). Considering this information:
• What perceptions about library work and organizations may be driving low-morale experiences?
• How might library advocacy efforts reduce or expand the impact of resilience narratives?
• How have resilience narratives impacted your organization in terms of operations? Staffing? User services and interactions?
• How have resilience narratives impacted you, your library practice, or your health? How have you responded to these impacts?
Reflection 2: LIS Values, codified behaviors, and gaps in LIS or professional development education may impact library employees’ self-efficacy in creating and maintaining boundaries with their various stakeholders. Think about times you may have had difficulties:
• communicating a difficult point of order or procedure to a colleague or library user;
• calling out a colleague or leader’s unethical or uncivil behavior;
2021 Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S.
• defending yourself against abusive or negligent behavior; or
• determining the best way to broach or conclude an unpleasant conversation.
What were your concerns? How did those concerns impact your response? What would you have done differently?
Resilience Grit and Other Lies
https://eamontewell.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/resilience-grit-and-other-lies-acrl-2017.pdf
Library Leaders Lack Confidence in Diversity Strategies
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/04/14/academic-library-leaders-concerned-about-diversity-equity-inclusion
Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves
Berg, J., Galvan, A., & Tewell, E. (2018). Responding to and reimagining resilience in academic libraries. Journal of New Academic Librarianship, 4(1): 1-4. Retrieved from https://newlibs.org/index.php/jonl/article/view/805/725
Ettarh, F. (2018). Vocational awe and librarianship: The lies we tell ourselves. In the Library with the Lead Pipe. Retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/
Kendrick, K.D. (2018). Academic librarians and low morale development. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/281348220. (Alternatively, read the study from the Journal of Library Administration).
Kendrick, K.D. (2018, April 9). Can we talk? Retrieved from https://renewerslis.wordpress.com/2018/04/09/can-we-talk/
Kendrick, K.D. (2021). The public librarian low-morale experience: A qualitative study. Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Research and Practice, 15(2): 1-32. Retrieved from https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/5932
Kendrick, K.D. & Damasco, I.T. (2019). The low-morale experience of minority academic librarians: A review. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3pqMKV1 (Alternatively, read the study from Library Trends)