This article is from the April 2024 issue.
Happy National Library Workers’ Day to all the amazing people who work in libraries. Today, April 9, 2024, is National Library Workers Day (NLWD). Established by the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA), NLWD was designed to recognize all library workers who make library service possible every day.
Library workers have been attacked on many fronts, yet library staff continue to play an invaluable role in supporting their communities. In both good times and times of challenge or crisis, library … Read the rest
This article is from the March 2024 issue.
By Elizabeth Langley
Libraries have been struggling to hire and hold onto talented employees. Why? I believe it is primarily because of the low wages paid to library workers. Librarianship is predominantly female, and the gender biases embedded in early wage-setting set the stage for today’s market rates. Consequently, our salaries are often unjustifiably low. In 2022, the median annual pay for professionals with a master’s degree was $86,372, but librarians took home an average of just $61,660.
In Pathways … Read the rest
This article is from the November 2023 issue.
“Increasing employees’ physical activity can create a healthier workforce, increase employees’ productivity, and decrease employees’ risk of developing costly and debilitating chronic diseases,” states a guide to Physical Activity in the Workplace by The Institute for Health and Productivity Studies and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For library employees, getting fit and active doesn’t have to be any less of a priority. From the variety of options out there to the benefits and considerations of implementing a … Read the rest
This article is from the October 2023 issue.
Last month’s (Sept 2023) Work/Life article entitled ‘Rejuvenation Now that the Pandemic is Over‘ and the Question of the Month that asked readers “How are you staying refreshed and rejuvenated now that the pandemic is over?” seems to have caused alarm.
The article begins by stating:
“On May 5 of this year, more than three years after COVID-19 was designated as a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the global Public Health Emergency for … Read the rest
This article is from the September 2023 issue.
By Beatrice Calvin, M.A. Counseling, CWWS, CDF
Although many of us are still experiencing extremely hot weather, school is now back in session for most students. I remember when my daughter was in elementary school. At the start of each new school year for her first couple of years, she would be anxious. Although she was excited to go back to school, she worried that she would not know anyone at school. I had to reassure her that although there … Read the rest
This article is from the May 2023 issue.
Most of us would agree that we are ‘on the other side’ of the pandemic. That does not mean that people will no longer be affected by COVID. It also does not mean that the high volume of people who experienced mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, etc. has diminished. All it takes is ten minutes of watching the news to see that people are struggling with mental health challenges. Some people are still grieving losses experienced during … Read the rest
This article is from the April 2023 issue.
By Emma Wood
It had been some time since I was an enrolled student of anything outside of a conference or webinar so when an opportunity to participate in OEN’s Open Educational Resources Librarianship Certificate program arose, I was delighted at the chance. Open Educational Resources (OER) have been near and dear to my heart since I learned of the concept while I was a college student struggling to afford textbooks. From my BA in English to my Masters in … Read the rest
This article is from the March 2023 issue.
During the entire month of March, the ALA Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL) will recognize and celebrate women’s achievements with National Women’s History Month.
National Women’s History Month traces its origins back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women’s Day was later observed in 1909 on that date and is currently observed on March 8 each year. In 1981, the U.S. Congress designated the … Read the rest
This article is from the January 2023 issue.
By Kelley McDaniel
In part one of this article, the author discussed the issue of unemployment/underemployment of adults who are neurodivergent in the context of libraries and used the Autism @ Work Playbook to provide concrete strategies for helping libraries become part of the solution to the problem. In this second part, we hear directly from a library worker who is neurodivergent. In Question & Answer format, they describe their experience trying to establish a career in libraries.
We Need … Read the rest
This article is from the December 2022 issue.
By Kelley McDaniel
How does your library encourage and accommodate patrons who have dyslexia or other learning differences? What about patrons who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other neurobehavioral differences? And how about patrons who have dyspraxia, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or other developmental differences? What these diagnoses have in common is that they all fall under the umbrella of neurodiversity. Neurodiversity is a relatively recent term (coined in the 1990s) that recasts the notion that there is … Read the rest
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