I sometimes daydream about taking a nap in the middle of the workday.
It would be easy enough. My office is in a shed in our backyard and ya’ll, there’s a pullout bed in here. I could totally take a power nap any time I wanted to.
But I never do.
Why NOT?? Seriously, what is wrong with me?
For many of you, a midday work nap is something you could never consider. You simply don’t have time. Marketing your library is not the only work task you are expected to do. You are answering phones. You’re filling holds. You’re making sock puppets for story time. You’re cleaning the restroom.
Your work is demanding. And for many of you, it’s leading to staff burnout.
Burnout is a big problem in library marketing. A quarter of all public libraries in the United States lost staff positions after the pandemic, according to the Public Library Association. And in more than half of those libraries, those positions were not replaced.
So, we’re doing more with less. And the burden is even heavier for those of you working to promote your library.
According to a survey by Blind, the burnout rate for anyone working in marketing and communications was already high pre-pandemic, at 74.8 percent. After the pandemic, that rate shot up to 83.3 percent.
We have a problem. But I’m certain my readers already knew that.
What do we do about it?
For the next two weeks, I want to address this issue. I’ll share some strategies I’ve learned in my own work and research.
I decided to write this series now because:
- Summer is stressful and busy for library promotions.
- You’ll do better promotional work when you aren’t stressed, and that’s good for your library.
- I like you. A lot.
What the heck is burnout?
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies burnout as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
There are three main symptoms:
- Feelings of fatigue, lethargy, or exhaustion
- Feelings negative or apathetic about your library marketing work
- Reduced productivity
Why are library marketers experiencing burnout?
This is, by no means, a comprehensive list. But I talk with libraries every day as part of my day job. And here are the main causes of burnout I’ve noticed.
Outside threats, like book challenges, hostile library boards, and antagonistic community members.
I put this first because, to be honest, I think it’s the biggest threat to libraries right now.
The constant, never-ending, soul-sucking, scary, demeaning, and demoralizing effects of book challenges are doing more than impacting our freedom to read. It’s threatening the very existence of libraries by making working conditions impossible.
This month, during Pride, I have held my breath every time I see a library post on social media. I tentatively check the comments, looking for anyone who might say something derogatory.
I hear stories from fellow library marketers who tell me they receive replies to their regular library emails from people threatening and demeaning them.
And I’ve listened as library staff break down in tears, describing hostile community members who threaten them, dox them, and call them all kinds of names, for doing their jobs–providing inclusive books and services.
Lack of support or recognition from leadership
You, my readers, are smart. You think strategically about your promotions and measure your results. And when you take those results to your boss and they ask you to keep doing the thing that isn’t working anyway… that leads to burnout.
If you are a manager reading this, here is a call to action: your job is to support your staff. Your job is to remove hurdles so your team members can do their best library marketing work.
That doesn’t mean you have to agree with every idea your team members bring. But if you disagree, provide context. And allow your team members to conduct library promotional experiments, even if you personally think they’re going to fail. You could be wrong. And the goodwill and trust you build with your team members are valuable.
Unrealistic deadlines and results expectations
How many times have you been asked to create an email, a social media post, or an ENTIRE campaign… right now, like yesterday.
Library marketing work takes time and it’s difficult to get others to understand that. And when they don’t, that leads to stress and burnout.
It’s also stressful when you’re receiving pressure from fellow staff who expect you to drive hundreds of people into their programs.
Remote work and mobile devices
There is a downside to remote work—one I personally struggle with.
Before the pandemic, most of us had to commute. And that driving time, as stressful as traffic can be, did create a barrier that helped us disconnect from our work.
Now, it’s so dang easy to open your laptop after dinner and finish that email newsletter you didn’t quite get through today. Or to check your email. We also carry these little computers around in our hand/purse/pocket that keep us constantly connected to the office.
For a while, my home office was in my bedroom. HUGE MISTAKE. I would wake up in the middle of the night, glance over at my to-do list for the next day which was laying on the desk right next to me, and suddenly, the gears in my brain would start churning.
Don’t get me wrong: working at home is FANTASTIC. But remote workers do have to consciously create a barrier between their workday and their home life.
The never-ending promotional content cycle
The work that sets library promotions aside from every other bit of work in the library is the constant need for online content.
Update the website. Write a blog post. Record a podcast episode. Post to social media.
The content beast is always hungry. And that constant need to feed the beast leads to burnout.
Are you experiencing burnout?
If you are feeling like one more social media post or newsletter is going to put you over the edge, you are not alone. Next week, I’ll share 10 tips for avoiding burnout for anyone working in library promotions.
Meanwhile, if you feel comfortable, share your burnout experience here. This form allows you to remain anonymous. I’m not a therapist, but hopefully, the act of writing about your feelings will help ease the burden a bit. I care about you.
More Advice
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Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 