At a recent meeting of children’s librarians, someone mentioned that we need to address the topic of burnout at a conference. Everyone in the room agreed.
In fact, librarians seem particularly susceptible to burnout. In Running on Empty: Dealing with Burnout in the Library Setting, Tim and Zahra M. Baird identify the following work-related stressors that contribute to burnout among librarians: budget cuts, the quick response time to reference questions, censorship issues, heavy workload, the overload of clerical duties, poor management and supervision, technology-related problems, the lack of time for (or no voice in) collection development duties, the lack of closure for ongoing projects, a shift in priorities, low pay, obnoxious public/patrons and few opportunities for advancement.
Sound familiar? Lately, I have heard several librarians say “it just isn’t fun anymore.” Perhaps many of us have just been in the profession too long and long to retire (but can’t) or perhaps the nature of our jobs has changed so much and we have not changed enough. For those who want to avoid burnout, what can be done?
And so I turn to the wise children’s librarians of NH. What do you do to avoid burnout? How would you like to see this topic explored at a conference? Do you know a speaker who could address this issue?