Beyond Burnout: Sustaining Our Work as Teen Librarians

Transfers, resignations, mission creep, and tightening budgets mean library workers have to do more with less support and less staff. Teen staff may find storytimes or adult book clubs are suddenly essential parts of their job descriptions. Library programs and collections might suddenly be challenged by managers, library users, or the general public. Not to mention the economic, health, and political issues in our personal lives compounding everything.

With all these stresses it is essential that we take time to care for ourselves and each other, avoid burnout, and give ourselves the tools needed to recover when stretched too thin.

Bay Area Young Adult Librarians share practices for sustaining our work as teen librarians. With presenters from different library systems, we’ll talk about restorative rest practices, creating healthy boundaries, effective strategies for advocacy, and taking collective action to support yourself and each other during difficult times at work.