Search

Low morale studies verify the low-morale experience as one caused by repeated, long-term exposure to workplace abuse and neglect, and that the experience has negative and long-term mental health and physical health outcomes for impacted individuals. This qualitative study centers the low-morale experiences of leaders working in libraries of all types. Data confirm the development and outcomes of low morale, validate impact factors that perpetuate workplace abuse and neglect, and reveal impact factors that manifest in low-morale experiences faced by library employees with formal (organizationally conferred) administrative, managerial, or supervisory duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core duties of the reference librarian inherently mandate that the work environment is not unlike a kaleidoscope: Students and faculty revolve within and around the library, and reference and public services workers do the same; every move temporarily redesigning the library, its collections, and even its very role on campus into something (and then something else) that was previously unimaginable. Whether reference librarians consider their ideologies purist, progressive, or a mixture of the two, plans for continuous improvement and/or expansion of reference services should begin with a visit to the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) Web page. Having a broad understanding of what reference and information services means and how such services impact communities are of paramount importance, and the values of public services librarianship--customer service, discretion, knowledge of resources, privacy protection, and providing access to information--have not changed. At the same time, tools and aids highlighted in this column (including those related to instruction, collection development, and time management) directly enhance and improve the quality of services that are created by these values, and are only a few of many that have been created and are applicable for use in the traditional duties and technology-oriented reference interactions in modern librarianship.

There is currently a dearth of research on African American college students and their interactions in academic libraries. The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate whether African American college students view academic libraries as welcoming places and to identify factors that are most influential in their perceptions of welcomeness. Adopting the theoretical lens of "library in the life of the user," we administered a national online survey questionnaire to 160 black college students attending non-historically black colleges and universities in the United States. The survey data were analyzed by employing correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis to test our hypotheses. The analytical results showed that participants felt welcomed in academic libraries, and library as place and information needs were significant factors that affected students' perceptions of welcomeness. Our findings suggest that library patrons are important actors in constituting the atmospheric character of the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dynamic body of knowledge about workplace bullying and burnout in academic libraries exists; however, there is a significant shortage of library and information science (LIS) literature regarding the related problem of low morale in any library environment; additionally, literature focusing on workplace bullying and burnout is quantitative, limiting insight into the animate experience of these events and inquiry into associated long-term effects. A phenomenological study was conducted to understand academic librarians' experience of low morale. Emergent themes connected workplace abuse, mental and physical health impacts, systemic influences, and the long-term consequences of low morale on LIS career trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents Leaving the Low-Morale Experience: A Qualitative Study, which includes the role of emotional labor in librarians' experiences of deciding to leave low-morale experiences, keeping in mind such labor is occurring during long-term exposure to instances of abuse and neglect at work.

Recent studies on low morale in academic libraries reveal impacts on workplace health and organizational culture and concerns about leadership training and development. Additionally, established research on library dysfunction and emotional labour in librarianship, along with emerging scholarship on incivility in librarian-patron interactions, highlights a growing area of practice concerns for information professionals. This qualitative study centers public librarians' experience of low morale. Data validate the development and practice- and health-related outcomes of low morale and illuminate the realities of public library work, organizational culture and behaviours, impact of leadership practices, and perceptions of the value and role of librarians and the public library in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation in continuing education and professional development are crucial to the practice of librarianship as a thriving profession. However, increasingly tight budgets, stagnant salaries, small staff, and lack of access to current technologies may prevent active academic librarians who work on small and rural campuses from fully participating in professional development. As the duties of the modern librarian continue to evolve, efforts to ensure access to quality ongoing training for 21st-century information professionals from all areas of the North American landscape remain paramount. This study explores how academic librarians in small or rural library environments keep up with modern library practices, network with colleagues, and access formal and informal opportunities for continuing education and professional development. The study also identifies barriers to training opportunities for academic librarians on small or rural campuses and investigates the links between continuing education barriers and professional association membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]