Job Stress and the Librarian

Practicing academic, public, school and special librarians and LIS faculty in the United States offer practical how-to essays on managing stress as working librarians. Creative methods of diffusing stress are emphasized, adaptive to various types of libraries and job descriptions.
The book is divided into several parts: Defusing and Reducing Conflict at Work; Stress Management; Library Programs for Patrons and Staff; Balancing the Professional and the Personal; Juggling Responsibilities; Easing Stress on a Budget; Overcoming Challenges; and Navigating Career Transitions.
Facing budget and staff cuts, increasingly diverse patrons, and rapidly changing technology, librarians have stressful jobs and this collection helps meet a concrete need.

A Michigan resident, Carol Smallwood has practiced in school, public and special libraries. Her primary interest is practical librarianship, and she is the author of journal articles and editor of numerous books.
Linda Burkey Wade is the Digitization Unit Coordinator at Western Illinois University Libraries and has published several articles.

Edited by Carol Smallwood and Linda Burkey Wade
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 212
Bibliographic Info: bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7180-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0565-4
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Foreword: Julia L. Eisenstein 1
Introduction: Carol Smallwood and Linda Burkey Wade 3
Part I : Defusing and Reducing Conflict at Work
Dealing with Impossible Co-Workers
Kathleen Clauson 5
Let’s Work it Out: Managing Conflict in Libraries
Lisa A. Forrest 13
Part II: Stress Management
Gender Specific Stress Management Strategies
Leigh A. Woznick 19
Laughter in the Library
Su Epstein 28
Shelving Stress Through Self-Care and Nutrition
Amy Bodine and Kim Rush Lynch 33
The Active Librarian: The Importance of Physical Activity for Mental and Physical Well-Being
John Boyd and Elizabeth Cramer 41
Leave Me Alone! The Value of Solitude
Jonathan Frater 48
Part III: Library Programs for Patrons and Staff
Planning Library Programs for Patrons
Beth Nieman 55
The Benefit and Implementation of an Employee Yoga Program
Kymberly Anne Goodson 63
Librarians Helping Each Other: A Staff StressBusters Program
Aislinn Catherine Sotelo and Shirley A. Higgins 71
Part IV: Balancing the Professional and the Personal
De-Stressing: Conscious Choices at Work and Home
Maryann Mori 81
Journaling Your Professional Life: Appreciate the Journey
Cristina Hernandez Trotter 87
Avoiding and Recovering from Burnout
Samantha Schmehl Hines 95
Part V: Juggling Responsibilities
The Real Cost of Doing More with Less
Pamela O’Sullivan 101
Meeting the Demands of Teaching
Marcia E. Rapchak 106
Employee Empowerment as a Strategy for Supervisors
James B. Casey 112
Part VI: Easing Stress on a Budget
Affordable Library Makeovers
Sharon M. Britton 119
Funding Your Media Program in Lean Times
Barbara Fiehn 126
Downsizing Stress: Dealing with Budgetary and Staff Cuts
Stacey R. Ewing and Janelle West 134
Done in a Day: Effective Use of Volunteer Labor
Jeffrey DiScala and Sheri Anita Massey 142
Part VII: Overcoming Challenges
Being an “Only One”: The Sole Minority on Staff
Charlcie K. Pettway Vann 149
The Trailing Spouse: A Portable Career
Kimberly Swanson 155
So You’ve Been Laid Off, Now What?
Lara Frater 161
Part VIII: Navigating Career Transitions
The Over-Underemployed Librarian: The Full-Time Stress of Multiple Part-Time Jobs
Zara T. Wilkinson 169
Stuck in Security: The Mid-Career Frustrations of the Tenured Academic Librarian
Beth Evans 176
No Time Like the Present: Proactive Retirement Planning
Aline D. Wilson 183
About the Contributors 191
Index 197

“recommended”—Technical Services Quarterly; “This volume contains a wealth of practical advice on dealing with the stress that all librarians experience at one time or another.”—Jason Kuhl, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Arlington Heights, Illinois; “Highly empowering self-care guide for library professionals with practical tips by experienced professionals to cope with the evolving role of libraries and library services.”—Padma Polepeddi, Arapahoe Library District, Denver, Colorado; “Twenty-seven excellent articles for librarians on how to beat stress in (and out of) the library.”—Larry Grieco, contributor, Bringing the Arts into the Library; “Libraries have changed radically in the past 15 years, and so have customer expectations. This book is not only welcome, but necessary to our field.”—Elaine Williams, Lynchburg Branch Library, Ohio.