Community Care for Burned-Out Library Workers

Librarians and library workers enable members of our community to take care of themselves and each other. But research shows that we often end up trying to care for our own well-being alone. The struggles and burnout that many library workers face have systemic causes, yet we may feel compelled to address them with purely individual solutions. This webinar and discussion will explore how we can move to a paradigm of community care, where organizations and people work together to support us all. Learn from the presenter in the first hour, then stay for a 30-minute discussion session to help you apply the content to enhance your own community of care at work.

In this webinar you will learn:

• How to recognize the underlying, systemic factors that lead to burnout
• Practical tips for how organizations, teams, managers, and individuals can participate in community care to reduce burnout and proactively support wellbeing
• How community and self care can work together to support library worker wellbeing  
• What your fellow participants are doing to combat burnout through community care – sharing challenges, successes, and ideas.

Presenter:

Audrey Barbakoff, EdD/MLIS, is a public library leader, consultant, speaker, and author who believes that a public library is the heart of its community, and that community is at the heart of the library. She helps libraries and other social good organizations facilitate engaged learning that becomes the foundation for shared creativity and resilience. With over a decade of experience as a librarian and manager in public libraries and a doctorate in organizational change and leadership, Dr. Barbakoff applies an equity lens, human-centered design, and community-led practices to build capacity for locally relevant, sustainable innovations.

Track: Community, self-care, burnout