Librarians Association of the University of California - LAUC

The literature on academic librarian morale is burgeoning, yet less attention has been paid to the workplace experiences of staff. This research team, which included library staff and librarians, conducted 34 structured online interviews with academic library staff across the United States. A theoretical model and interview findings are presented, which reveal the ways in which organizational culture, library hierarchies, and management style affect staff morale. Recommendations are offered, suggesting that, while change can present substantial challenges, efforts to address equity in compensation, provide professional growth opportunities, and create more collegial work environments are essential to improving staff morale.

My name is Selena Chau. I’m a librarian and a retired performing artist. I performed with a dance company that held rehearsals and concerts at this building, the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, at 14th and Alice Street in downtown Oakland. This building is over 90 years old and is now a city-managed arts center. Through continued care of its theater and studio spaces, civic and performing arts companies have drawn audiences to dance and theater concerts held in this building at 1428 Alice Street. For the first forty years, the building’s ownership and uses were exclusively for White Protestant society–first by the Women’s City Club and then by the Oakland Moose Lodge. Eventually, this building became a significant location for Black and African-American performing arts companies.

In the United States, the library residency (sometimes referred to as a fellowship or internship) is defined as a temporary, entry-level position in a library that targets post-library school graduates as part of a diversity recruitment and/or early career development program.  There are fewer than 30 such programs in the USA.  

We conducted a nationwide survey of library residency programs in the USA.  Questions  addressed program planning and decision-making, attitudes toward various aspects of libraries and residents, and the effectiveness of residency programs in context.  This information will be used to develop a model for libraries that have existing residency programs or that want to start a similar program.

 Our research will paint a picture of the landscape of library residency programs in the USA.  A comprehensive survey of both residency coordinators and residents has not been conducted before.

The workshop and companion poster begin with both a theoretical and practical background based on our research. In the interactive portion, participants will be asked to share their individual experiences with early career development in their own countries; to discuss the need for effective early career development programs; and, finally, to design the ideal residency program that can be adapted for their own community needs.

This poster and a workshop was presented by Angela Boyd on August 19-20, 2013 at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress  79th IFLA General Conference and Assembly in Singapore, Singapore.