Surviving The Stacks Podcast

As library visitor needs have changed over the years, libraries have found that they often need staff to have different skills and characteristics compared to what they may have needed in the past. If there is a mismatch between someone's skills and the needs of a particular position, this increases staff stress as well as impacting the customer experience of the library.  In this episode, Beth and Jane discuss some of the training needs of staff to help them be as prepared as possible for the contemporary realities of the work. They interview Anne-Maree Pfabe, Library Manager at the City of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). Anne-Maree shares strategies she uses for hiring staff who are a good fit for the library environment as well as ways her library tries to support the ongoing professional development needs of staff. 

With libraries struggling for limited resources in many communities around the world, growing politically motivated protests, and some people questioning libraries' relevance, it is more important than ever to ensure a library's services and programs meet the needs of the local community. Small and rural libraries, in particular, struggle to survive if not well supported by their community members. In this episode, Beth and Jane interview Dianne Connery, previous Director and current Development Director of Pottsboro Area Public Library in Texas (US). On the verge of closing its doors, Dianne led a group of dedicated stakeholders who transformed this small, rural library into the vibrant community-gathering place it is today. She shares her experiences and strategies that worked for her to engage her local community and ensure the library met their needs. She also shares her opinions about how this process may look different for rural versus larger or more urban libraries. 

Libraries can't do their work alone, and many benefit from collaborating with local government partners. In this episode, Beth and Jane interview Leanne Mitchell, a private consultant and previous government worker from Australia who focuses her work on helping local government bodies address issues related to homelessness. She has collaborated with a number of libraries throughout her work, including supporting libraries to implement and carry out innovative programs and services for their most marginalized patrons by partnering with other local government entities. She shares her experience and guidance for libraries trying to build collaborations with local government partners to meet the needs of their communities, users, and staff.  

Libraries increasingly serve many people who are unhoused, especially since they are often one of the only free, accessible spaces in most communities for people without many resources. However, this population is one with many additional and sometimes complex needs, which can often cause stress for library staff. In this episode, Beth and Jane share strategies used by libraries to effectively engage and serve this population, including discussing the recommendations from the recently released Leadership Brief for Addressing Homelessness distributed by the US Urban Libraries Council. They also interview Sarah Garnett, Managing Director of the Footpath Library in Australia. Sarah discusses her work bringing mobile library resources to communities of unhoused individuals, including sharing her reasoning for starting the Footpath Library, strategies for engaging and serving unhoused individuals, and recommendations for other libraries serving this population. 

When libraries seek to add innovative programming or services, especially those that aim to serve vulnerable or marginalized populations, it can be difficult to get buy-in from decision-makers and stakeholders; without buy-in and support, these new programs or services can struggle and even fail. In this episode, Beth and Jane interview Tonya Garcia and David Perez from the Long Branch Free Public Library in New Jersey (USA) about some of their library's programs and how they successfully got buy-in. They have been successful implementing nontraditional library programs such as the Fade to Books Barbershop Literacy Program and the Fresh Start re-entry program, and were the first library in New Jersey to add an on-staff social worker. They share the strategies that have been helpful in their area and suggestions for other libraries seeking to gain support for new programs or services aiming to meet patron and/or staff needs. 

Access This Episode Transcript Beth and Jane discuss the struggle many libraries have for financial resources, and how necessary it is for libraries to know how to measure outcomes and show the impact of their services to help bring in or justify continued or added financial support. They interview Darren Smart, Head of Service for Somerset Libraries in the UK, about the importance of being able to measure and report outcomes to demonstrate to partners and funders the benefits of working with or supporting the library. Darren shares suggestions for ways libraries can turn qualitative information and patron/customer stories into usable outcome data.  Connect with Darren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-smart-b-e-m-5637a234/?originalSubdomain=uk

⁠Access This Episode Transcript In this episode, Beth and Jane discuss the need for trauma-informed care in libraries, not just for patrons but also for staff. They interview Linde Furman, Branch Manager at Pima County Public Library's Juan Valdez Main Library, about strategies being used in her library to create and sustain a culture of care, reduce the trauma experienced by staff, and effectively respond when staff experience a traumatic workplace incident. Linde discusses the work happening in her library as well as lessons learned that can inform other libraries wanting to improve trauma-informed care and support for staff.  Resources: ⁠PCPL Trauma Informed Care Team Timeline of Efforts

Access This Episode Transcript This episode centers around library worker experiences of burnout, and organizational and workplace factors that often contribute to that burnout. Beth and Jane interview consultant and researcher, Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, about her research on low morale experiences in libraries and discuss strategies staff and managers can use to increase the wellness of everyone working in the library. Kaetrena's Website: https://renewalslis.com/about/

Beth and Jane discuss violence and aggressive behavior happening in libraries and how these behaviors are impacting staff. They also interview Kristy Gardenour about safety and security in libraries. Kristy provides helpful information about security officers and their training, and makes recommendations for ways libraries utilizing security guards can improve their overall fit for the library environment. She also discusses additional strategies with Beth and Jane for increasing library safety. 

In this episode of Surviving the Stacks, Beth and Jane focus on the stress that occurs when libraries don't have clear boundaries around their roles or clear expectations for staff. They also interview Noah Lenstra, who talks about how developing intentional collaborations and partnerships with other area organizations can help libraries expand their services and meet patron needs while also reducing pressure for staff to be all things to all people. Dr. Lenstra also shares pointers for setting collaborations up for success and for libraries to advocate for their needs.  Key Resources Dr. Noah Lenstra's Resource Toolkit: https://letsmovelibraries.org/toolkit/

Featuring stories and examples from across the globe, this podcast seeks to increase support to library workers and administrators experiencing challenges, bring awareness of the public to common library concerns, improve understanding about the reasons why libraries are seeing these challenges, and share innovative solutions for libraries to consider using in their own community.