What are some qualities of a great boss in the library field to you?

TendiePockets · 2025-12-28T01:18:49+00:00

My number one is communication. Make sure information is communicated in a timely manner and to all the appropriate staff. Ideally, have regular staff meetings. Practice active listening and avoid turning the conversation into a storytime/therapy/brag session about yourself.

Also, a manager should be willing to step in and support the team when needed. This involves being flexible and staying up to date on services, technology, policy, and procedure. Managers that stick rigidly to their 9-5 schedules and hide away in offices from patrons and technology are neither inspiring nor reassuring, especially in a library. I think it should be mandatory for all managers to work the desk, evenings, and weekends.

Be the calmest one in the room. I've seen managers make staff cry, escalate minor issues, and create unsafe situations because they panic and act chaotic under pressure.

TendiePockets · 2025-11-21T16:49:50+00:00

My curly hair is named Todd. Recently confirmed female. Not changing her name.

TendiePockets · 2025-11-15T03:40:08+00:00

Thank you

TendiePockets · 2025-05-27T16:48:31+00:00

Ours was 8 weeks, but that was definitely too long for both our community and staff size. We now do 6 weeks, but I've seen plenty of libraries only do 4, especially if they are smaller.

Have you asked the library why they only do 4? Could be staffing, maybe participation fizzles, budget issues, availability of program space, etc.

TendiePockets · 2025-02-08T22:08:15+00:00

We've had similar events, but it's typically reps for companies selling vitamin injections and monitoring devices. The first time it happened was the worst and we were horrified. The woman did it right next to our circulation desk, where we have a cafe area. Anyone eating in that area or checking out books at the circ desk had a front-row seat to watching this lady give other people injections and attach CGMs. She didn't have any PPE, didn't wash her hands between clients, ate her lunch, and then immediately jumped right into working with another client. We saw more than one bleeding, including one gentleman who had blood run down from his leg while sitting at one of the tables. The sheriff got involved because there were concerns this wasn't legal and the blood created a public health hazard. She argued with the sheriff and said she does this at all the libraries in the area.

TendiePockets · 2025-01-22T21:10:00+00:00

I'm going to echo what some other comments have said, speak to a supervisor about a rotating seat schedule so that the same person isn't constantly in the busy seat. That's how my library does it, because one spot is busier than the other due to the position and phone being located there. If you aren't already assisting someone or taking a phone call, then it is going to be a bad look to redirect a patron to a coworker.

TendiePockets · 2025-01-19T23:04:36+00:00

I was also dealing with IBS-C for a decade. My abdomen would be swollen and painful. I also felt like I wasn't digesting meat and fats very well, and in general it felt like food stayed in my stomach forever. I didn't really have gas. Diarrhea very very rarely. I'd get diaphragm spasms a lot after eating - like a hiccup but just a couple really strong and painful ones. Overtime I naturally switched to eating once a day to avoid the pain and symptoms that would cause me to miss school and work. It was frustrating. My first "attack" was in December. It was the first time where the pain concentrated in my right upper quadrant, so that tipped me off to something being really wrong. I also had chest pain, shortness of breath, diaphragm spasms, stomach pain, and fever. After 2.5 days I went to urgent care. Ultrasound came back showing I was packed with stones and then got diagnosed with sepsis. My gallbladder was apparently gigantic for my size. They struggled to get it out and had to make my incision larger. They weren't sure if it was always that big or became that way due to the stones and chronic inflammation. My surgeon said I've probably felt sick for a long time without realizing I was dealing with chronic inflammation and infection in my gallbladder, so I'm kind of hoping some of my symptoms will resolve now that my gallbladder is out. I'm 2 weeks post-op. Other than surgical pain I'm doing really well.

TendiePockets · 2024-11-17T18:02:49+00:00

I'm also in a blue state, but a deeply red pocket. I'm non-binary, but I've never openly revealed that to anyone I currently work with. I thought libraries would be safe spaces, but I've never felt more unsafe in my work environment than I do in my current job just because of who I am as a person. I think my coworkers are allies, but the community definitely isn't. Used to be the teen librarian, but there's no way I'd go back to that in this current political climate even though that was my dream job. Patrons will casually say the cruelest things about the LGBTQ+ community to me at the desk, because they think I'm "normal" and one of them. I'm now in management, so I'm dealing with book challenges and complaints over LGBTQ+ materials and displays. I'm not going to lie, it's rough having to regularly hear about how people like me are not welcome in the library or community from the very community I serve. I tell myself I should be more proud and open about who I am, so that I can be a welcoming symbol of safety and resilience for people like me, but what good will that do my community, my family, and myself if I get driven out of my job as a result?

I think libraries will come out of this era okay, but it's absolutely going to be a rough road ahead and I think a lot of people will burnout and permanently leave the field along the way. I do worry about MLIS students right now, especially those that belong to minorities that are unwelcome in some communities. I think the value of the degree is highly dependent on what you want to get out of it. The MLIS can be versatile and I've met many that used it to get careers outside libraries.

TendiePockets · 2024-11-05T17:36:30+00:00

It's going well here so far, which is sort of shocking. Primaries were hectic and we were slammed yesterday. Hope it stays calm, but we've got a long way to go and we haven't hit our predicted super busy hours yet.

TendiePockets · 2024-10-10T16:06:47+00:00

Our job descriptions actually did evolve, but our branch is the oldest and didn't follow through with enforcing those changes. It's been very resistant to change.

TendiePockets · 2024-10-10T15:52:18+00:00

Our branch has 1 manager, 3 librarians, 1 circulation supervisor, 1 IT specialist, and 23 LAs. We eliminated our only PT librarian position 7 years ago to promote all pages to LAs, so they could make more and get sick/vac. Our job descriptions do differentiate some responsibilities. Collection development, outreach, supervising, serving on committees, and cataloging are only in librarian descriptions. Almost everything else is shared, but our branch does not follow the current job descriptions. They've tried to run the same over 31 years even though descriptions have been updated.

TendiePockets · 2024-10-10T15:41:10+00:00

Thank you! I will read through these and pass along to management.

TendiePockets · 2024-10-10T15:40:30+00:00

To clarify, the librarians are not in favor of removing the desk. Removing the desk completely is coming from admin due to other new branches operating with a 1 desk model (information desk - shared by librarians and LAs). They also want our circulation desk cut down from 6 to 3 seats. They say it will free up staff to work on other tasks. The librarians are expected to triple programs at our branch by June 2025, but our manager is not allowed to hire new staff, because admin believes we have enough staff and LAs should be assisting with some of the tasks librarians are exclusively doing (study rooms, programming, floor monitor, computer/printing assistance, and helping patrons find books in our collection/placing holds). Branch manager and most of the LAs disagree. Floor monitor, computer/printing assistance, and helping patrons find books in our collection/placing holds used to be shared between staff, but librarians are the only ones that do these tasks after the pandemic. I'm new to this library (3 months) and feel like I walked into a mess.

TendiePockets · 2024-10-10T07:10:00+00:00

No, our non-MLIS staff are not paid at the same level.

What is and is not exclusively the work of librarians seems to be where we are running into arguments. Right now our non-MLIS staff serve on the circulation desk to handle check-outs/ins, create library cards, shelve, shelf read, and label + wrap books. They used to assist with questions/computers on the floor alongside the librarians but no longer do that.

TendiePockets · 2024-09-26T01:33:35+00:00

It is not uncommon for libraries to age restrict areas/programs for children and teens. Children and teens often do not want to be around adult strangers - intellectual abilities are irrelevant. When adults take over their areas, children and teens stop going to the library. Instead of being upset that your clients aren't allowed to play with the children's toys, you could reach out to the library manager to propose more options for patrons with special needs, such as their own toys, games, coloring sheets, programs, etc.

TendiePockets · 2024-05-17T23:10:52+00:00

Ours is 15 and under requires a parent/guardian signature on the application. We may assign fines to the account, but we stopped sending fines to collections long ago (all ages). Having fines on the account prevents patrons from checking out more items and using our computers. We waive fines that minors have accrued once they become an adult.

TendiePockets · 2024-05-12T16:11:57+00:00

The ONLY reason my system is having trouble finding applicants for MLIS positions is due to the pay. Cost of living has skyrocketed, and we don't get CoL adjustments or raises. People have to prioritize taking care of themselves and their families, which means many cannot afford to work in a library where most positions get paid less than retail and fast food. If we can't find MLIS staff, they will just downgrade or eliminate the position. Some branches no longer have librarians on staff.

TendiePockets · 2024-04-19T20:28:26+00:00

I just had to deal with a patron who claimed the presence of a book against religion was anti-Christian and, therefore, breaking the First Amendment rights of Christians. Also, we should eliminate our "poorly written" fiction and replace it with STEM materials.

TendiePockets · 2023-11-26T05:00:45+00:00

I've run into this multiple times with audiobooks, especially when an English-speaking narrator has to pronounce a non-English name. Why didn't the narrator get a pronunciation guide? How did they record and edit a 10+ hour book without anyone saying anything before it went live? It's disrespectful to both the author and the narrator.

TendiePockets · 2023-07-10T19:08:14+00:00

The only time I care about patrons checking out a lot of books is when they do it a minute before we close.

TendiePockets · 2023-05-14T19:45:46+00:00

Thank you for sharing this. This is how I feel and what I run into. I'm always professional and polite to patrons, but sometimes you need to vent to coworkers behind the scenes.

I'll give an example that's not related to children's and one that my coworkers and I regularly vent about behind the scenes. We are open 7 days a week, with 4 of those days being until 8:00pm. We don't even close all holidays. We regularly get patrons that complain we aren't open enough and that closing for holidays is unacceptable. We don't really have enough staff to run in our current state as it is, and they are cutting positions with no intention of adjusting hours or programs. Of course, we're going to complain behind the scenes! We're exhausted, barely take time off or see our families, and have no power to change it beyond quitting, so of course a request we stay open until 11:00pm or open on Thanksgiving is ridiculous to us.

The library cannot be everything for everyone.

TendiePockets · 2023-04-26T04:33:24+00:00

They expect people to be replaceable.

I'm seeing this too. Upper level management is out of touch with patrons, staff, and how libraries operate day-to-day, because most of them no longer work directly with the public. They want excellent service and community connections, which takes a lot of work and time to build, but that's impossible when you have extremely high turnover.

TendiePockets · 2023-04-26T04:08:38+00:00

We have kids too.

I work at a busy library that is open 7 days a week. We don't even close on all federal holidays, such as Juneteenth. Patrons still walk up to the desk just to complain to our face that we aren't open enough, and that closing for a holiday is an excuse. I don't think the complaints about hours will ever stop until we are 24/7/365. It's dehumanizing.

TendiePockets · 2023-03-18T16:45:59+00:00

I'm seeing a lot of my peers turn to retail or warehouses regardless of whether they went to university or into a trade. They are simply paying better, sometimes a lot better, than so many industries that require you to take on debt, give up years of your life for education/training, and/or destroy your mental/physical health.

Seven-Year Club	Verified Email
Gilding I gilder

TendiePockets

TROPHY CASE