Pizza Parties Dont Fix Burnout: The State of Librarian Mental Health

Last year saw tremendous budget slashing in all types of libraries nationwide. It wasn’t just public or school librarians who saw their jobs and resources end. Academic libraries were on the chopping block, sending yet another message about the ways that access to verifiable facts, the historical record, and resources that advance knowledge aren’t priorities. They’re instead simply “nice to have.” It’s a confounding message, especially in an era of fake news, disordered information, and the ongoing push to integrate Artificial Intelligence into every aspect of life. It’s also a confounding message, given all the ways libraries are expected to fill in the gaps left by budget cuts elsewhere, and to do so without pushing back.

All of this has a direct and material impact on the mental health of library workers.

I wanted to know how much of a toll the job takes on library workers when I sent out a lengthy survey last summer, from July to August 2025. The survey asked library workers of all backgrounds, experiences, and demographics to get honest about where and how library work intersected with their mental health. Respondents were asked to share their experiences in a free-form style, highlighting what they perceived as the most significant stressors in the field, where and how they’ve managed their mental health in relation to their job, and what kinds of solutions they think would be helpful. Those who took part were welcome to write as much or as little as they’d like.

The results were even more surprising than expected.

This was by no means a controlled survey. It was self-select, but it did represent the field well. A total of 213 library workers responded: 77% worked in public libraries, 16% in academic libraries, 3% in special libraries, 2% in school libraries, 1% in government/state libraries, and 1% were retired/former. The weakness here is school libraries, but that’s likely due to the survey being sent during the summer, when the majority of school librarians are not in the office. Survey respondents were composed of 42% urban library workers, 42% suburban, 12% rural, 4% exurban, 5% mixed/multi-type systems. Library workers in the survey averaged 17 years in the field, with a median of 14 years. No degree or official “librarian” title was required to participate, just that the individual worked in a library.

The data was analyzed broadly, meaning that certain responses were grouped. Percentages in the responses will add up to more than 100% because library workers often mentioned several things that were arranged thematically. In other words, consider these responses representative and accurate, if not precise–that was not the goal.

The Biggest External Stressors in Libraries Right Now

Five big themes emerged in at least half the responses when it comes to the most significant outside stressors for libraries:

• 95% of responses noted budget cuts, layoffs, closures, and defunding as the most significant concerns from outside the library
• 80% of library workers noted stress came from the expectation that the library operates as a social service provider
• 75% mentioned book bans, censorship, and political interference
• 50% mentioned the rising costs of materials, specifically the high costs of digital materials. Libraries pay significantly more to purchase ebooks than the average consumer, and digital platforms like hoopla are a budget drainer.

Mission Creep was the single-most day-to-day stressor mentioned.

Among the other external stressors mentioned were public misunderstanding or devaluing of libraries (30%); technology and disruption caused by AI (25%); lack of diversity, racism, and inequality within the profession (20%), and ongoing safety and mental health crises (20%).

Here’s what some of the respondents noted in their comments:

• “We are not social workers, but we’re forced to act like them.”
• “I’ve been called a pedophile at a board meeting.”
• “It’s demoralizing to be hated for serving the public.”
• “AI creates misinformation we have to fix.”
• “Libraries lack diversity and don’t retain it because of systemic racism.”
• “The war against knowledge is the war against democracy.”
• “Print costs are up 25% since I started, digital 300%.”

The Biggest Internal Stressors in Libraries Right Now

While fewer themes emerged related to the most significant internal library stressors, they were more concentrated:

• 81% mentioned leadership disconnect and/or toxic or ineffective management
• 52% noted low pay, budget constraints, and funding inequity
• 45% stated there’s a lack of career growth or advancement opportunities
• 34% mentioned burnout, overwork, and doing more with less

Also mentioned were the pressures to engage in censorship or practice self-censorship (18%); unsafe work culture and poor communication (16%); systemic bias, failures of DEI, and a lack of diversity (12%); and insufficient training and poor management preparation.

The most frequently cited issue was the widening gap between administration and frontline staff. Responses noted that leaders are often detached, untrained, defensive, and prioritize appearances over genuine empathy with staff. This erodes both trust and morale for frontline workers.

MLIS-qualified roles, as many responses noted, are not paid a living wage. The field offers low salaries, few full-time positions, and budgets that fail to meet the needs of today’s reality of living.Given the ever-tightening budgets in libraries, paired with the decline of library jobs over the last two decades, those working in libraries are often expected to do the jobs of multiple people. Respondents noted that they are constantly doing more with less, which is creating a cycle of exhaustion. How do they balance their job responsibilities, respond to social support needs, and address the changing needs of the library without their training or compensation aligning?

A particularly interesting aspect that emerged was the erosion of professional identity. A chunk of responses mentioned that librarians have shifted from being information professionals to more generic “community programming” librarians. There’s a feeling that librarians are no longer serving as an information authority, that there has been a decrease in academic and intellectual rigor requiring their skills, and a corresponding reduction in their role in information literacy. Instead, boards are far more interested in event metrics and numbers–things better measured by, say, how many people show up to a program.

Many respondents noted that diversity and equity initiatives are not working as they should. They’re either there in name only or they’re not even acknowledged by the administration at all. It leaves marginalized staff feeling vulnerable and at risk, especially as attacks on DEI and libraries grow.

Here’s what some of the respondents noted in their comments:

• “Directors more concerned with optics than staff morale.”
• “I’m not saying we need to earn private sector numbers but a lot of librarians are still being paid 35k-45k and being told that is ‘competitive’”
• “Pressure to be positive and self-sacrificing in order to be a ‘good librarian’” (read Fobazi Ettarh’s crucial “Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves“)
• “Our library has a DEI committee that does nothing and feels performative at best”
• “Leadership often has a corporate mindset that’s at odds with a public library–relying on consultants for decision-making, speaking in corporate jargon, creating lengthy bureaucratic procedures and pretty diagrams instead of actually solving problems.”

Mental Health Challenges Faced by Library Workers Because of the Work

What were the most common mental health challenges library workers experience as a direct result of their jobs in libraries? They reflect exactly what those workers noted as the most significant stressors of the field.

• 60% mentioned burnout
• 40% mentioned stress
• 36% mentioned anxiety
• 20% mentioned depression and/or helplessness
• 13% mentioned trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, or secondary/vicarious trauma
• 10% mentioned compassion fatigue
• 7% mentioned fear and safety concerns
• 3% mentioned loneliness or isolation

Among the comments:

• “Burnout is 100% a problem. It’s a combination of interacting with very traumatized populations and hardly any backing from the administration.”
• “Ongoing stress of being part of a marginalized racial and ethnic group in a predominantly white profession. Institutional job creep that leaves staff having to do more than what they signed on to do.”
• “Shrugging off the burdens of vocational awe – til we do, we suffer needlessly.”
• “Everyone seems sad and lost. We openly cry at work. We have lost many of our talented colleagues to layoffs. Our library is full of empty offices.”
• “We have to dissociate sometimes just to get through the day.”

How Library Work Impacts Mental Health

The survey’s responses above highlight the pressures on libraries and their workers, as well as the outcomes on mental health. But how exactly does working in libraries impact an employee’s mental health?

• 71% mention an increase in stress, burnout, and overwork
• 60% mention an increase in anxiety, panic, and hyper-vigilance
• 48% mention an increase in depression, apathy, and hopelessness
• 42% of respondents noted toxic management or administrative harm

To a lesser extent, workplace trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder were mentioned (15%), as was moral injury/values conflicts (11%). There are also fears around low pay, job insecurity, and understaffing, which contribute directly to stress, anxiety, panic, compassion fatigue, and burnout.Seven percent of responses indicated that they experienced physical symptoms of stress emerging, and another 5% reported a loss of identity or purpose.

Perhaps the most significant point here is that toxic management does far more harm to library workers than any patron. Bad leadership was the number one stated reason that library mental health was impacted in the job.

Some of the insights offered:

• “My mental health has been more affected by bad managers than difficult patrons.”
• “Being dismissed or belittled by administration is what causes real depression.”

Chronic burnout and exhaustion are rampant. Despite how much library workers LOVE the job and mission, they’re feeling broken and unsupported by the system.There is also a normalization of fear and trauma in the library–between physical and verbal threats of violence from patrons, the ongoing threat of book challenges and censorship, and overall political hostility, library workers carry a lot with them every single day.

Things are especially challenging for neurodivergent staff, as well as staff with preexisting mental health conditions. There’s a constant masking going on, keeping people from being themselves and adding to the cognitive load.

Some quotes:

• “I’ve become meaner and more cynical”
• “I still believe in libraries, but they are breaking me”

The responses here were not all negative. Indeed, 8% of responses noted positive or restorative mental health experiences in the field. Those responses frequently mentioned that their experiences changed as a result of leaving a toxic situation and entering a more supportive library. Supportive leadership and effective management were identified as key factors in fostering resilience, solidarity, and hope in the workplace, even amid current political realities.

Some quotes:

• “I’m finally in a place where management trusts me, and that’s made all the difference.”
• “Union protection has kept me sane.”

How Library Workers Manage Their Mental Health in the Workplace

Most library workers, much like those in any similar field, use multiple outlets to manage their mental well-being. A near-universal response was to step away from a situation causing them mental harm. That is one of the best strategies to employ, as it diffuses the situation. Stepping away doesn’t solve the problem, but de-escalation helps pause the fight-flight-freeze response. An ideal response following stepping away would be doing something to complete the stress cycle.

Among the primary coping strategies library workers cited:

• 37% therapy, counseling, and/or medication
• 34% seek support from coworkers, supervisors, and/or friends
• 32% taking breaks, stepping away, and/or going outside
• 24% using PTO, taking time off, and/or mental health days
• 18% meditation, breathing, and grounding techniques
• 13% compartmentalization/suppression at work
• 13% healthy habits and boundaries, including exercise, good sleep, and not doing work during time off/in off hours
• 10% physical outlets like walks, getting out in nature, yoga
• 5% use no coping methods
• 3% lean into spirituality and/or their faith
• 3% engage in substance use

Notably, work culture has a significant impact on where and how library workers manage their mental health. Supportive leadership and a good, trustworthy work environment encourage individuals to take care of themselves in the ways and at the times they need to.

The Mental Health Supports Offered in Libraries

Libraries do offer their employees mental health support, but its effectiveness and uptake are all context-dependent. Here were the most common responses for what resources are available to them:

• 73% Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
• 68% health insurance covering counseling/therapy
• 27% mental health days/flexible days off
• 20% wellness activities like yoga, mindfulness, or access/cost coverage to a gym
• 18% supervisor empathy and similar informal support
• 16% remote work options
• 11% peer/affinity groups

A full quarter of responses indicated that there was no meaningful support beyond insurance.

Insurance is context-dependent, too. Some library workers noted that the coverage for mental health counseling was set up as a reimbursement, meaning they had to foot the bill for a session themselves upfront, which makes access cost-prohibitive from the start. Also noted was that the deductibles were too high, rendering the insurance coverage itself pointless, and that it was difficult, if not impossible, to find a provider within the network.

Most people who noted access to EAPs expressed distrust in the system. This is something to put a pin in as we get to the responses from managers on employee mental health.Responses noted that they could not get sufficient help from EAPs, that the help provided by an EAP was a link to a YouTube video, and a fear that information would get back to HR that they’ve used the EAP (and more, that the information shared in the EAP will be used against them).

Respondents find the wellness activities superficial and not helpful; many have access to the Calm or Headspace Apps via their work. This is especially important to note because it doesn’t address the workplace culture. If the problem originates from within, encouraging people to practice desk yoga or creating a monthly mental health newsletter may not be effective. It also turns the onus onto the individual, rather than the system.

One of the biggest wishlist items mentioned by those who took the survey–something that would have tremendous mental health benefits–is more scheduling flexibility and leniency. Several mentioned that scheduling therapy sessions is difficult due to their work schedules, and others noted that “special” incentives to raise employee morale aren’t accessible to everyone because staff have to cover desk shifts. Creating these opportunities in non-work hours only requires them to be “at” work longer than needed (and unpaid).As it stands now, flexible/remote work is most commonly offered in academic and urban libraries.

Some select comments:

• “My employer does a “wellness fair” online that is basically a bunch of webinars on “healthy eating,” etc. I hate it and find it infantilizing.”
• “Our peer groups for marginalized identities have been phased out.”
• “They get rid of people who are struggling”
• “Our insurance covers therapy and medications, but the pushback for taking sick time to see someone is nuts. Our director no longer handles our schedule changes because it was a nightmare having to justify everything (and I shouldn’t have to).”

With Whom Do Library Workers Share Mental Health Concerns?

Given the above, it comes as little surprise that library workers feel more comfortable discussing mental health with colleagues and coworkers than they do with their managers or library leadership. 52% of responses indicated comfort talking with colleagues about mental health challenges–and it’s contextually dependent. With colleagues, creating a supportive culture matters. But in workplace environments where gossip is normalized and in workplace environments where racism comes out, colleagues are far less likely to share their experiences. A culture where psychological safety isn’t prioritized is a culture where people feel they need to shove down their experiences, leading to worsening outcomes.

Sharing with colleagues is also influenced by two other variables. The first is the very real fear of being seen as dramatic by bringing up mental health or having those personal experiences used to create stigma. The second is that in libraries where burnout and overwork are normalized, those very real experiences are seen as normal and even “productive.” That leads to a lower likelihood of sharing one’s personal experiences.

Only 30% of library workers expressed clear comfort talking with management. Conversely, 41% expressed explicit fear of speaking with management about mental health. Many commented that past incidents and responses to them had conditioned their comfort — going unacknowledged by management in times of challenge led to less comfort approaching management with these challenges. Some respondents noted that they’re also hesitant to talk to management because they’d previously been presented with a solution of toxic positivity.

Still, almost a third of library workers did express trust in management. Among the reasons:

• “My current manager is amazing”
• “They understand chronic illness and mental health”
• “They’re open and encourage work-life balance.”
• “They listen and give time off without judgment.”

Trust is contextual — some individuals feel more comfortable with their direct manager rather than going higher up the management chain. This includes directors, who may feel uncomfortable discussing mental health realities in the workplace with board or city officials.

An interesting and noteworthy finding is that managers in the survey expressed asking their direct reports and their colleagues about mental health-related issues, but they don’t practice that vulnerability themselves with their direct reports.

Do Managers Hear From Their Staff About Mental Health Concerns?

Much of the survey focused on the library worker, but a section of the survey asked library managers to share from their perspective as leaders in the library. This pool of responses was smaller, comprising approximately 80 managers at various levels who shared their perspectives on mental health in the library.

Are they hearing from employees about mental health concerns?:

• 63% state that they hear about mental health concerns from their employees.
• 17% say they hear about mental health concerns sometimes or occasionally
• 8% said they never hear about mental health concerns from their staff

Here’s where and how:

• 60% via individual meetings/check-ins
• 53% via informal & casual conversations
• 20% formal reviews

Other responses included Proactive observation, debriefs after challenging situations, group meetings, and anonymous surveys.

These tactics have strengths and weaknesses, highlighted by the managerial comments:

• “Casual small talk gets the most information.”
• “We start the first 10 minutes of our weekly one-on-ones catching up and talking about how we made time for ourselves.”
• “I pause and listen and always follow up post-one-on-one calls”
• “I encourage debriefing for 5-15 minutes with a supervisor after tough incidents.”
• ”I spend more time as a therapist than a manager”
• “I prioritized the mental health of others over my own, to my own detriment.”

A significant themewas that middle managers are serving as emotional buffers between frontline staff and higher administration. Those middle managers noted that:

• “I hear from them and see them suffering and try my best to support, but get zero support from upper management.”
• “I try to protect them and speak up on their behalf.”

How Library Managers Support Staff Mental Health

Managers noted several ways through which they support the mental health of their staff. Among the most common:

• 59% listening, empathy, and validating experiences
• 41% offer flexible scheduling and time off
• 36% practice open communication and work to create a safe environment
• 23% encourage the use of EAPs or professional help
• 18% offer staff recognition and morale building
• 16% advocacy and workload management
• 15% promote work-life balance
• 14% step in themselves to take on stressful tasks or engage in stressful situations

Let’s return for a moment to the EAPs. There’s a disconnect between what some managers are doing–encouraging use of EAP and professional help–and the actual services available to those employees via their EAP or insurance. If the EAP is a YouTube video or therapy is unaffordable due to lack of insurance or poor insurance coverage, how are library workers supposed to get help or trust the system?

Other responses included mental health education and training, such as de-escalation training. There are social and community-building events offered as a means of building trust and joy. Several managers echoed the sentiments expressed by library workers as well — they have no formal training structure and/or lack knowledge on how to address mental health issues.

Many managers noted that the things they wish they could do–including and especially providing more time off and more schedule flexibility–are hamstrung by rigid institutions. Many indicated that they do what they can to engage in community building and staff celebrations where possible. Although pizza parties don’t solve burnout, such initiatives do matter, as they play a role in fostering a positive workplace culture.

Here are some of the insights managers provided on that and on the tactics they’ve found to be most helpful for building a culture that is open and honest about mental health:

• “I never question sick days — they’re usually for mental health.”
• “I let staff vent and validate their feelings — it goes a long way.”
• “I’m very flexible with time off and step in to cover when I can.” — This quote is telling about how a library ecosystem works, and it also addresses one of the issues brought up by employees. Too often, they see managers in their silos and not working the frontline roles. This solution accomplishes a great deal with relatively little effort.
• Many leaders themselves are feeling the stress and burnout. “I do what I can, but often to the detriment of my own mental health,” said one, while another said, “I support them constantly, but we need institutional backup.”

Every library worker’s mental health experience will be different in the job. Each of our brains is built differently, and our nature and our nurture impact where and how we respond in any given situation. Some individuals have more resilience–a real human capacity that, unfortunately, has become a cudgel and an excuse for not addressing mental health concerns, as it allows systems to turn the problem back on an individual for not trying hard enough to bounce back (resiliency can be built, but systems have a direct role in permitting or hindering the process). Access to services and sociocultural privilege play a role here, as does good old luck.

We know two things about solutions:

• We have many of them!: Systemic change is crucial for the well-being of everybody. Many of our most significant mental health issues are tied to racism, poverty, sexism, capitalism, and other structures.
• Individuals can only do so much. Self-care is essential, as is providing as many resources and opportunities as possible to discuss and explore these mental health realities. However, until the systems change, the underlying cause will persist.

Many of the ideas presented in this toolkit on library trauma apply to other mental health challenges in libraries. They won’t be reiterated here, except to say that tools and resources do exist, and that both library workers and managers deserve the time, space, and support to learn, engage, and grow with them.

The Internal Work

Managing mental health in the public library includes:

• Acknowledging your limits. If you’re not a licensed mental health therapist, then don’t take on that role.
• Build trauma-informed policies. Do you have policies that take into account trauma and its impact? That permit employees to engage in self-care when the need arises? Do you offer mental health care for staff?
• Create from a space of inclusivity. Accessibility is not just for those with a disability. It positively impacts each of us. Let’s bring that spirit to the library.Consider the curb-cut effect–though curb cuts are “for” those who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices, they end up benefiting a whole community, as people with strollers, dollies, or wagons use them.

The External Work

• Make community connections. Get to know your community mental health workers, whether they work in public or private settings. What resources exist? How can the library work with them? How can they utilize the library?
• Be a safe and affirming space. A toxic work environment for staff also makes a toxic environment for patrons.
• Staff development and programming. Where and how can mental health topics be brought into staff development and training?
• Combat mis-, dis-, and mal- information. If it sounds fishy, it probably is. Don’t share it without verifying the sources and/or providing additional context. This is what a librarian’s job is, anyway!
• Model mental wellness. Sometimes this means getting vulnerable–if it’s not going to be good for your mental health, say that. Set up boundaries and respect them. Take your time off. Rest. Encourage use of time off.
• Be a library advocate and activist. You cannot wait for others to advocate on your behalf. You have to do it yourself. Libraries are not and have never been “neutral.” Libraries are unabashedly pro-library, regardless of the circumstances.

Solutions Library Workers Would Like to See

The above are, of course, big-picture solutions applicable in any institution. Library workers, however, come from a wide array of backgrounds and experiences, and they have numerous additional ideas and insights for making libraries safer for the mental health of their workers.

These solutions will vary by library. But here’s the thing: continuing to do things the way they’ve always been done is not going to change the ongoing crisis. Not all of these will be viable, but what can these inspire in your institution? Where and how can they become points of advocacy to the library board or city council? As libraries become the place where social services cut elsewhere within the system are now landing, it behooves any leadership team to ensure that the most critical assets in libraries — their people — are safe and supported.

If you don’t dream big and think about possibilities, instead choosing to consider everything from a place of lack and limitation, then you’ll never initiate the change process.

Libraries are living organisms (Ranganthan #5).

So, too, are the people within them.

• 46% want better, more affordable health insurance. This includes comprehensive coverage and access to coverage for part-time staff. Many mentioned a lack of parity between full-time and part-time library workers.
• 40% seek higher pay and secure institutional funding. Financial insecurity and demands to do more with less have a direct effect on mental health stressors.
• 35% want meaningful peer support groups and discussion spaces. Where and how can colleagues discuss their work experiences in an environment where they can both commiserate and develop solutions, without feeling judged or belittled? Remember, though, if your goal is to create a safe or brave space, always consider who may not feel safe or brave and why.
• 33% want stronger, trauma-informed policies. These should address harassment and bullying (both from staff and the public), as well as clear policies on post-incident support.
• 31% want more empathetic and accountable leadership. This includes acknowledgement, transparency, and accountability.
• 29% want more time off and/or flexibility, including mental health days, sabbaticals, more PTO, 4-day work weeks, and/or flex scheduling
• 21% want safer workplaces, to include better handling of abusive patrons, security, and more boundaries between the public and staff
• 15% seek more inclusivity and support for diversity, including for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC staff. This includes training on biases and affinity support groups.
• 10% wellness stipends and programs–note that this came as a secondary request to deeper systemic needs

More staffing/reduced workloads, stronger management training and leadership reform, and quiet rooms were also mentioned.

Comments below hit on these themes. First, on fixing the basics:

• “Better working conditions create better mental health.”
• “Don’t give me a mindfulness webinar. I need a living wage.”

On real, not performative, support and leadership accountability:

• “Support means not being traumatized in the first place.”
• “We don’t need pizza parties. We need support.”
• “I just want acknowledgment that staff wellbeing matters as much as patrons.”
• “Leaders should stop congratulating us on resilience and start fixing what’s breaking us.”

On peer support and community conversation spaces:

• “I want to talk about the trauma of working here without fear it’ll be used against me.”

On policy and structural changes:

• “Policies need to directly address burnout, bullying, and trauma”
• “Mental health isn’t a vibe—it’s structure.”

On how equity and inclusion are related to mental health:

• “I want explicit—not just implied—support for queer and BIPOC staff.”
• “Neurodiversity needs to be understood, not punished.”

While working with the public–even as it relates to a private academic school community–means working with people at all levels of simply living life. There will be challenging encounters, and moments of shock and surprise will arise. But those should not be made more difficult by a working environment that sees its people as disposable.

Solutions Library Managers Would Like to See

Many of these ideas align with what library workers want. That’s not by accident. These are solutions that aim to address system weaknesses and failures. Building more inclusive structures benefits everyone within them.

Response percentages are not included here, but rather, these are the big themes and takeaways, listed by how frequently they were mentioned:

• Adequate staffing and manageable workloads. Managers want more people to help shoulder increased demands, as well as more opportunities to give people breaks.
• Fair pay and benefits. This would include more time for PTO and sabbaticals.
• Flexible scheduling and work-life balance. Managers want to be able to offer 4-day workweeks, more work-from-home opportunities, and more time for family and caregiving needs.
• More empathetic and supportive management culture. Yes, managers want this as well!
• Psychological safety and open communication. Developing spaces where gossip is discouraged and bullying is addressed promptly fosters staff safety and trust.
• Better access to professional mental health resources. This includes more useful EAPs, stronger insurance policies, and the flexibility to allow people to make appointments during the workday.
• Morale building and employee recognition. Again, these don’t replace tools to support mental health, nor do they address the bigger systemic issues at play. That doesn’t mean they don’t matter and don’t contribute to a positive work environment. They do, and those things do affect mental health. They just can’t be the sole response.
• Training and prevention culture. This includes proactive problem solving, de-escalation training, safety protocols, incident debriefing, trauma-informed care, and even hiring staff social workers.

Interestingly, managers addressed policy changes and updates far less than employees did.

Comments below hit on these themes. First, on fixing the basics:

• Sustainable workloads, realistic service expectations, and more staff
• “We need more help, more funding, more staff so we can spread the load.”
• Paid time off for mental health, better insurance, better wellness resources

On flexible scheduling and work-life balance:

• More remote options, 4-day work weeks, respect for caregiving duties, and personal lives.
• “Libraries still cling to the idea that we should devote ourselves to the job due to vocational awe.”

On open, supportive, and emotionally safe work environments:

• Allow staff to be fully themselves, acknowledge emotions, discourage gossip and bullying
• “Healthy workplaces recognize emotional diversity.”
• Social workers on staff
• Formal check-ins after incidents
• More desk rotation to reduce stress

On learning from other fields:

• Social work and nursing models, with de-escalation training and trauma- and equity-informed support and policies
• Corporate-style benefits, including Summer Fridays, unplugged weekends, and more paid wellness days

Final Takeaways

It can’t go unacknowledged that library workers’ mental health is also tied to the unmet needs of the patrons they serve. Staff are being asked to be the social solution to massive systemic issues, including homelessness, drug use, falling wages, and trauma at the community level. That should be more reason to advocate for better workplaces that meet the needs of workers. The asks by both library staff and managers in this survey are by no means out of line–indeed, they’re pretty basic.

The ideal workplace supports flexibility and autonomy. It promotes good leadership and clear, honest, sometimes vulnerable communication. It offers fair pay and benefits.

The ideal workplace has mental health-specific policies, a good culture, and adequate staffing and workload. It absolutely leans into diversity, equity, and inclusion. Leadership is actively antiracist and supports marginalized staff.

Libraries can’t be critical community resources if the staff is completely burned out, anxious, and depressed. The cost of remote half days, summer Fridays, additional PTO, or even one week of closure — consider those low-traffic weeks, such as the beginning of August or the week of Thanksgiving—is far lower than the cost of not having a healthy staff.

As one library worker wrote in the survey, libraries “need a culture that says ‘take a break’ instead of ‘tough it out.”

It’s not that hard to get there.

“This is how we’ve always done it” is precisely why burnout, stress, anxiety, depression, and compassion fatigue are skyrocketing in libraries.

WE can change the narrative. WE must do the work to make it so. It doesn’t just come by magic.

This crucial sociopolitical and cultural moment for libraries presents an opportunity that the field has not yet adequately addressed: how to effectively care for, support, and accommodate the mental health and safety needs of its most valuable asset — its people.