It’s no secret that young people are always connected. In 2014, 85 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 86 percent of 25-34-year-olds owned a smartphone. ² These devices have become inextricably linked to our daily life with much of our scheduling, emailing, and picture-taking dependent on their accessibility. What was once taboo, having your cell phone out at work is now incredibly common and, in some cases, expected. Even many high schools have given up on policing cell phone use and instead focus on incorporating devices into the learning environment. There is certainly something to be said about remaining focused on work and not constantly being distracted by the siren call of the next tweet, but management is now about embracing and supporting the positive use of technologies and mitigating the unproductive use. Staff are going to use their phones at work and that’s okay.

Those attracted to the library profession are an interesting mixed breed of free-speech superheroes who also really like to follow the rules. The concept of disruption has been the hallmark of many tech startups as they’ve single-handedly turned major industries on their head with companies like Airbnb, Amazon, and Uber (just to name a few). Public libraries have always been a bit of a radical concept, but they tend to be slow to move away from outmoded practices. As much of library funding is in constant turmoil you’d think that agility would be built into their DNA. Unfortunately, instead you’re sometimes left with a thrifty dedication to flying under the radar for fear of reminding city officials that you exist and that you cost money. Since disruption costs money, it’s a tough concept in library-land.

There are ways however in which library tradition is being disrupted. The talk of eliminating fines is an interesting challenge to one of the hallmarks of library services.³ Many libraries are now offering unlimited renewals on items with no holds and some of the boldest libraries have eliminated physical books altogether.⁴ Disruption as a motivating force brings with it some uncomfortable truths. Jobs will change, criticism will be encouraged, and failure is a real possibility. As a new generation rises through the ranks and obtains positions of leadership, I hope we boldly face these opportunities as catalysts for a brighter future. When we share radical ideas and encourage critical thinking we progress. We progress as a library and as a community.

References

[1] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/25/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers/

[2] http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2014/mobile-millennials-over-85-percent-of-generation-y-owns-smartphones.html

[3] https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/imagining-fine-free-future/

[4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2014/12/16/libraries-without-physical-books-find-a-niche-in-san-antonio/?utm_term=.e554f5b22b19

The post Shifting Expectations for Staff in a 21st Century Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Jensen writes, “Working in a public library means working with the public. Librarians are taught to deal with mental illness. Taught to deal with homelessness. Taught to deal with hard and personal reference issues with dignity and professionalism. But librarians are not taught what to do when they become the victim of harassment.”

This is a key problem in our field today, and one that we must address. Having worked in public libraries since I was 15, I have plenty of stories I could share about being harassed by patrons, as well as colleagues. I suspect many, if not most, public librarians do. I could write about the unwanted physical advance I received from a colleague a few years ago, or the patron who followed me home from work one night. I could write about the middle-aged man who used to compliment me at the circulation desk when I worked evenings as a (barely 18 year-old) college student, or the person who ran my license plate to find out who I was last year. Recently, a conversation came up with some of my colleagues about lying to patrons about our relationship statuses; many of us were guilty of it. I myself have been known to throw on a fake engagement ring when I see certain patrons enter the building. And that is not okay.

Unfortunately, our job duties of being helpful to the public sometimes make us sitting ducks for harassment. As a profession, we could collect hundreds – probably thousands – of similar stories from people across the library industry. But when are we going to do something about it?

As Macbride writes, much workplace training in today’s world focuses on harassment between employees. That certainly exists in libraries – something I unfortunately can personally attest to – but the bigger risk is harassment by the public. Because, she writes, we are often evaluated by management based on our customer service skills, it can make it that much harder to say no to a patron or tell him to stop whatever he’s doing. We’re in the business of making people happy and saying “yes” as much as possible. We want people to like us so they continue to use us. We depend on high rates of patron interaction to remain relevant in today’s world of shrinking budgets and constant questions about our necessity.

So, how as a profession do we address this? I don’t have an easy answer. Neither do Jensen or Macbride. It’s an incredibly complex issue that, until recently, until #MeToo and #TimesUp went mainstream, was taboo to speak about.

The first step is to talk about it. Keep talking about it, even when it makes people uncomfortable. The more aware we are of the problem, the more we can work on fixing it. Due to the nature of working with the public, it’s unlikely to ever go away completely, but perhaps calling more attention to it will make harassers think twice before behaving badly.

Have you been a victim of harassment at your workplace? Have an idea for prevention? Share your story in the comments.

References

^[1] Katie Macbride, “#TimesUp on Harassing Your Public Librarian,” Shondaland, January 31, 2018, https://www.shondaland.com/act/a15876574/timesup-on-harassing-your-public-librarian/

^[2] Kelly Jensen, “The State of Sexual Harassment in the Library,” Book Riot, October 24, 2017, https://bookriot.com/2017/10/24/sexual-harassment-library/

The post Ending Sexual Harassment at the Public Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

I like to think of myself as a funny guy, but my wife has a differing opinion. She thinks that my jokes are “painful” in some way. Perhaps the fact that they are filled with both puns and sarcasm makes them difficult to bear. However, there is a saying that goes with a sharp wit and sometimes overactive sense of humor: “discretion shall preserve thee.” This statement has proven true over and over, and is especially true if you are in a leadership role. There’s a big difference between when the boss tells a joke and when it comes from a coworker. Here’s are some commonsense tips for using humor at work.

• Making fun of the current administration or pointing fingers at the mayor can not only cost you your position, but can paint the library in an unfavorable light. You don’t want that hanging over your head when the budget is being voted on.
• In addition remember the simple rule that making general statements about groups of people, whether that be religious, racial, related to sexual orientation, political party affiliation, or nearly any other group an individual might be a part of is wrong. You could say something derogatory about say, Star Wars fans. However, if that statement made it seem at all as if you might treat that group unfairly in your library, it can be seen as discriminatory and politically incorrect.
• Be careful with sarcasm. It can be, well, a bit biting from time to time. Sarcasm can also be misunderstood. Even when it seems unnecessary, make it clear to employees and others when what you are saying is a joke.
• While it may seem funny to make light of someone else’ mistake, the best policy is to avoid this kind of humor altogether at least in the workplace. Not only does it prevent you from slipping over the invisible line between funny and offensive, but it also sets the example for those around you. Peer to peer jokes of this nature can be just as offensive or damaging no matter how innocent they may seem on the surface. As a leader, you model what is acceptable and not acceptable in your workplace.
• While a little self-deprecation can be funny in the right situation, too much of it shows you lack confidence in your own abilities. This in turn can inspire doubt in your staff and those you lead every day.

Smart Brief on Leadership asked its readers if they would rather work with a leader with a good sense of humor or one without. Nearly half said it was more than just a desirable quality: it was an essential leadership trait. So how do you foster good, clean, safe humor in your library?

• Break the Tension: Let your employees know it is okay to laugh at work
• Spread Opportunities: Create times for lighthearted laughter and joking around as part of your workday.
• Be Human: You will make mistakes, that joke you thought was well timed will fail. Laugh at yourself. It humanizes you, and lets those around you know they don’t have to be perfect either.

Using humor opens people up to interact more freely with you, and makes them feel able to share more openly. As library leaders, we need to do better, be funnier, and use humor liberally especially when times are tough and things are hard. Your staff, and ultimately your patrons, will thank you for it.

References

1. Leading with Humor by Alison Beard, Harvard Business Review, May 2014, https://hbr.org/2014/05/leading-with-humor.

The post The Library Needs Laughter first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

In asking myself these questions two experiences from my past came back to me.  The first, I recalled teaching women’s studies classes, watching talented, smart, capable, young women become alienated by a strident, authoritarian and narrowly defined dogma.  It wasn’t even that these young women disagreed with feminism, but that the manner in which it was presented, they found abrasive and unyielding.  The result, “feminism” became another bad F-word and the ideology and goals of the movement were set back in many frightening ways.  The second recollection was my favorite Star Wars quote.  Princess Leia looks to her capturers and says, “The more you tighten your grip…the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

I see both of these memories as highly relevant in today’s world.  No one can deny that polarization of our country is present. There are groups with radically opposing views, but each believes their position to be morally correct. Even those who fundamentally agree are swiping at each other for how stridently positions should be put forth. Everyone’s grip seems white knuckle tight. I venture to say, all side are terrified.

Fear is a dangerous thing.  It makes us think dumb things, say hurtful things, and behave in ways we cannot explain.  It triggers flight or fight responses, each equally fatal for improving the situation. Ultimately what is needed is to show that fear is not warranted, but this requires time and the ability for opposing views to coexist. It is highly unlikely society will reach universal agreement.  But we can respond with sympathy and empathy. We can be strong enough in our beliefs to allow the beliefs of others to exist.  Like it or not, each side must listen to the other respectfully and reach an arrangement in which each side is allowed basic human rights and freedoms.  This includes the right to say what we think, feel, and believe.

The tighter the grip, the less flexible and more strident in our views we become, the more dangerous the situation becomes.  Social changes occur but in ways that ultimately are detrimental to all, as both sides use identical tactics to silence the other.

The public library by our mission and place within communities across the country is in a position to help facilitate positive social change. By illustrating and accepting multiple viewpoints and personalities, opinions and ideas, and treating ALL people as equal, we set an example. We can set a tone for our communities. We can, through our programs and daily interactions, educate on practicing civility. We can model appropriate responses to opposing viewpoints. We can show how by loosening the grip, we catch many more star systems.

The post Making Social Change: Promote Civility first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Despite the staff shake-up, I proactively encouraged my coworkers to be excited about the changes. “This is a good thing,” I would positively say to them. “Change is good. It’s always nice to shake things up a bit.” I honestly believe these sentiment. Then, why do I have butterflies in my stomach? Why have I started chewing my nails again (ew, gross, I know)? I decided to look into it.

At the most basic, change produces anxiety; that’s the emotion that causes all of the nail-biting, butterfly-inducing, icky energy in our bodies and minds. The scientific definition of anxiety is “a multisystem response to a perceived threat or danger”[1]. It is the culmination of biochemical changes in the body, recollection of personal history and memory, and the social situation at hand.

Now for the biology part: that sense of dread I have been experiencing? Yeah, that’s from my hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is where our “fight or flight” response is located and it’s an emergency reaction regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The coolest part of the ANS is that every animal has it. From Usain Bolt to a slug on a leaf, “fight or flight” is hard-wired into our brains, an evolutionary byproduct of evading predators. This is a comforting discovery, because it means no matter how much I consciously choose to be invigorated by change, subconsciously, I can’t help it. My hypothalamus will hijack my response every time.

If I know that I can’t control my subconscious response to change, how much can I control my conscious reaction? Surprisingly, quite a bit, though that doesn’t make it easy; much of how we internalize change is affected by how we construct our identity of self.

What does that even mean?

Here’s the psychological bit: the self is how an individual perceives himself or herself. It is a mental construct, and for everyone it is different. It’s the answer to the old question, “Who am I?” Our response to change is directly affected by our perception of self. Moreover, the self can be defined by different levels of inclusiveness, that is, through the different relationships we have with the people in our lives. Essentially, if you define much of your “self” as it pertains to others: mother, brother, coworker, friend, and if any of those relationships is affected by change, then your concept of self must be redefined. And for some people that is terrifying, which is why there can be so much resistance to change. In order to better cope with stress, you have to revise your perception of self to also include intrinsic aspects, like self-enhancement and personal growth, which are less affected by change[2].

The workplace is the environment that many people find to be the most stressful. I’ve worked in a university, in retail and finally, my dream job, in a library. There’s been a joke used in every breakroom in which I’ve spent time; you’ve probably heard it before or something similar. “Can’t take a vacation around here; everything changes while you’re gone.” Usually relayed with sarcasm, the sentence is also a passive-aggressive complaint. Change is so commonplace in the workplace that it’s as unifying a concept as an angry customer, hard-headed boss or lunch-stealing coworker. And yet, we still fear change. There are endless manuals for organizations for implementing occupational change, without causing the staff any undue stress. But the recommendations for coping with organizational change all seem to follow a few basic principles:

1. Expect change.
2. Accept and make the best of change.
3. Learn from the change.

Knowing what I know now, I feel better about my anxiety. I know that I can’t help the butterflies or the nail-biting (mostly). But at least I don’t have to let it get in the way of how I learn from the change. I’m choosing to be positive about change.

References

1. Mitchell, Mark A. The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, 3^rd Edition. (2013) Cengage Learning.

2. Wisse, Barbara and Sleebos, Ed. When Change Causes Stress: Effects of Self-Construal and Change Consequences. (2016) J Bus Psychology 31:249-264

Resources

Cross, Kay L. Coping with Change. (2006) IDEA Fitness Journal 5: 104-5

The post I Love Change: So Why Does It Still Scare Me? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.