Learn to Love Your Library AgainGeorge Conwell

Lorie Harding

Steps to Begin… the card

• Your Story. And Having a Mantra(s)– Responsibility matters– Show Up– Don’t be so hard on yourself– Relationships Matter– Don’t be so hard on others

• Important to Me: Priorities• Know thy self: Your strenghts.• What am I Passionate About?

– oppertunities

What is Burnout?

• Burnout is alienation from work. Physical Symptoms like headaches, nausea, depression, inability to concentrate, boredom… lack of passion and purpose. Burnout is also your stress out of control.

Reasons For Burnout….

• Many; the very nature of library work ( A constant round of interruptions, triage, and repetitions), budget cuts (doing more with less), interpersonal and management issues, lack of time, no stake in organizational outcomes, undefined goals and accountability, being taken for granted (underappreciated).

Four Scenarios• Like Job/Hate Boss-Coworkers-Organization

– PLN, Avoid Office Gossip, Energy Vampires, And A$$holes– Be a good observer, and focus on peoples learning style. What motivates them, adjust your style as

needed– Develop a detached view of your job- don’t take things personally. Document if necessary.– Make your needs known

• Hate Job/ Like Boss-Coworkers-Organization– Figure out how to adapt to your present job better (Goal Setting, Professional Development, Cross

Training)– PLN, Professional Development Committees, Mentors, Skill Set ( There is a difference between building

and sustaining a career).– Start a Library Sideline (incorporate your outside passions into inside library ones)

• Hate Job/Hate Boss-Coworker-Organization– Step out of your comfort zone, identify where you want to be in 5 years. Find a role model.– Be open to getting and giving help.– Get a portfolio together of your work; be realistic about your option… call in your chips.

• Manage any of the above employees?– Employees need a sense that they are contributing to the mission of their organization. Let them dream

BIG and be okay with them failing.

People/Things I Follow• Writers & Thinkers:

– Bob Sutton- (writer for the Harvard Business Journal): http://bobsutton.typepad.com/– Dale Carnegie: http://www.dalecarnegie.com/– Stephen Covey: https://www.stephencovey.com/– Jim Collins: http://www.jimcollins.com/

• Twitter & Blogs– NAMLE: National Association for Media Literacy Education @MediaLiteracyEd– Trevor Dawes: @tadawes– Jerry Blumengarten: @cybraryman1– American LibrariesL @amlibraries– The Darling Librarian: http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/– A Media Specialist Guide: http://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.com/