If you are a director, board member, manager, supervisor, or any other member of library management or upper administration, this article is for you! These are all the things your youth services staff would like you to know, but are either afraid to tell you or have tried but feel they aren't being heard.
Youth services librarians and staff everywhere are struggling with excessive workloads, unrealistic expectations, vocational awe, understaffing, and a public that is more demanding and less civil. We are often overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated, leading to burnout and many leaving, or considering leaving, the field. If this trend continues, it will seriously impact the quality of library services for youth and families and the library's ability to meet community needs, undermining public perception of the continued relevance of the public library.
"I left my job as a youth services manager because after 7 years I was totally burned out. My director expected far more work out of the youth department than any other department, but respected it the least. I wish my director knew how important children are in a community. And understood that working with youth is not *easy*."
I recently surveyed 228 youth services staff, and 84% reported feeling at least some degree of burnout! *Eighty-four percent!* In this same survey, a third of respondents felt that upper management and admin do not have a good understanding of youth services job duties or the skills required to perform them, and almost half felt that upper management/admin do not understand the time involved and generally do not feel supported by upper management/admin. Nearly half of all respondents felt they were not fairly compensated for the work they did, did not have enough time to perform all the tasks expected of them, and that the library was not adequately staffed to meet expectations or community needs. In addition, a quarter of all respondents were unable to take sufficient paid time off to rest, recharge, and attend to personal, family, and health needs. No wonder so many of us are feeling burned out!
"I am so exhausted and burned out, and so unhappy after just 2-1/2 years in this position. I feel like no one has any understanding [of] how much time and energy go into programming and collection work, and they keep demanding more and more community outreach and engagement, yet give me no staff at all. I have zero help with anything."
In this same survey, youth services staff were asked what they wished their supervisors and upper management better understood about their jobs, and they didn't hold back! While there were a few that commented they felt their immediate supervisor understood their job fairly well, far fewer could say the same about upper management, and there were many, many more who commented otherwise, with the most frequent themes summarized in the table below; links to read all of the comments in their entirety are in the caption:
Many respondents felt their supervisors and/or upper management (collectively referred to as "management") had unrealistic expectations and needed a better understanding of their workload, all the different tasks and duties they perform and how much time they require. They also reported that management did not appreciate the special skills and knowledge required for their job, including child development and early literacy, nor understand why we do what we do and that it is based on research. Many feel that they are not respected as professional librarians and just seen as "playing with kids", and are assigned more duties than their adult services counterparts as a result. Programming and collection maintenance/development were specifically mentioned as being particularly time-consuming. In addition, many wish management recognized how exhausting and draining it is working with the people and children, and how much physical, mental, emotional, and creative energy the job requires.
"I don't feel they are completely aware of all the different things I have to do, and they definitely do not understand how much time and effort goes into programming and proper collection development."
"[I wish they understood] how much research, prep, and planning time goes into programs. That 1 hour program you see has anywhere from an hour to several hours of researching and testing ides, planning, buying and preparing materials, setting everything up, then taking everything down. Also, managing the collection and selecting and ordering materials takes a great deal of time, even if you don't really see it."
"What we do in YS and YA often looks silly or trivial but it's usually backed by evidence based practices and is actually important."
"Not make jokes that our job isn't that hard...We just make it look easy!"
"It's exhausting!"
Staffing issues were also mentioned frequently, with many expressing frustration about not having enough staff, staff needing more training, and not having enough support from other staff. There was also an emphasis on management needing to recognize the need for qualified staff for youth services, and not thinking "anybody can do it". Related to staffing and workload was the problem with being spread too thin, having too much interference and distraction due to interruptions, meetings, covering the service desk, having to help other departments, provide training for other departments, and taking up the slack from others being out or not doing their jobs. Several reported the need for acknowledgement and appreciation of the good work that they did, rather than just hearing criticism or demands for more, more, more.
"I wish I could get them to understand that our department is not adequately staffed to do even the most basic services, and that it requires qualified staff, not just anybody, to work with kids and do programming and materials selection."
"More programs should equal more assistance. I can't do it all, even if I tried."
"A little bit of encouragement can go a long way."
Survey participants were then asked what could their supervisor and upper management could do to better support them, and again, they had a lot to say! There were a few who commented that they did feel fairly well supported, mostly by their immediate supervisors rather than upper management. There were many similar comments made by multiple respondents, and the most frequently reported supportive measures needed are summarized in the table below, with links to all of the responses in their entirety in the caption:
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Table 2. Most frequently reported ways youth services staff could be better supported by supervisors and upper management.
Many other topics were mentioned in the comments collected, which can all be read in the following documents:
Supporting YS - Supervisors and Supporting YS - Upper Management |
Staffing issues made another appearance, this time as the most frequently reported area in which youth services staff need more support. In order to do all of the things expected of us, we need more staff, and that staff needs to be qualified, well-trained, and work together as a team. Additionally, youth services needs more support and teamwork from the staff in other departments, particularly circulation to help with tasks such as shelving, shelf reading, prepping materials, promoting programs and services, and giving patrons accurate information. The refrain of "I can't do it all!" was repeated throughout the comments. If management is unable or unwilling to increase/improve staffing, then they need to re-prioritize, stop over-committing, and reduce workloads to be in line with budget and staffing constraints.
"Hire more staff! Have reasonable expectations! Give more PTO and provide proper staffing and back-up so I could actually take it."
"Hire more staff who can effectively do their job."
"Hire additional staff (even temporary ones) before creating significant new programs and responsibilities. Spend more time in the actual branches to understand the staffing needs we already have."
"Better manage employees who aren't pulling their weight."
Communication is another big issues. Youth services staff would like more communication and transparency from management, more check-ins to see how staff are doing, more awareness of what is going on, clear expectations and goals, and to be included in the conversations for planning and decision making. Youth services staff would also like to see supervisors and upper management be more present and pitch in and help with programming, big projects, or to cover so staff can take PTO; this would also help management have a better understanding and appreciation for what youth services staff do, and what is going on in their department.
"Check in regularly, ask about programs and outreach after they happen, establish process and procedures that make it easier to do my job and make sure all staff are on the same page. Communicate clearly and consistently with all staff...."
"Have more thorough and thoughtful conversations about workflow in the library and whose duties are what."
"Give a 'good job' when it's due."
"I've always thought it would be fantastic if our managers worked our job to really understand it. At the very least they could have a meeting with me and ask me how I do my job. How do you plan a storytime, why do you do it that way? Where do you get your ideas for your family or teen programs? It would show me that they are interested and also management might learn something about youth programming they don't already know."
Recognizing youth services librarians as professionals and experts in their area, trusting their judgement, and allowing them a reasonable amount of autonomy would be much more supportive than micromanaging, over-committing on their behalf, and continuously expecting more from them. Trust them when they tell you they are already spread too thin, believe them when they say they can't do any more programming or outreach without additional staff, allow them to "just say no" sometimes. Again, we can't do it all and be everything to everybody, all the time.
"Respect would be nice, believing us when we say things like "that's a big ask" or "that's going to be a lot of work."
"Either be more involved with programming, or support the decisions I make regarding programming and time constraints."
"Trust my experience." "Trust us to do our jobs."
"Give me autonomy to do my job instead of micromanaging."
"Stop pushing for more, more, more. Give recognition."
Receiving fair pay that is (1) a livable wage for the area, and (2) commensurate with job duties, performance, and professional knowledge and skills is an issue across public libraries, but with youth services in particular. Several also mentioned the need for better benefits, including healthcare and more PTO in order to have time to rest and recharge, and attend to personal, family, and health issues, and the ability to actually take PTO when needed. Flexible work schedules, working from home, less time on the public service desk, the need for acknowledgement and recognition, and in general being a better manager, leader, and advocate for staff were also other ways in which youth services staff needed more support from management.
"Fight for me to have a living wage. We get paid poorly and only a 2-3% raise. Not even enough to keep up with inflation :("
"Fight for higher wages, rather than compare it to salaries of other libraries in the area. They are all so low, no wonder nothing changes. At this rate, management seems to have the "you should feel lucky you are of the higher paid in the area" attitude. Frustrating."
"Fight for better benefits!"
"Give regular pay increases to match my experience and inflation. Also give me more sick leave and vacation leave."
"Have regular staff meetings, do the strategic plan, revise bylaws, follow public meeting procedures. Basically just do her job better."
Finally, survey participants were given the opportunity to add any additional comments they wished, and these are summarized in the table below, followed by a few noteworthy quotes, and can be read in their entirety in the linked PDF document:
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Table 3. Topics of additional comments from survey participants.
Full content of original comments can be read in the document "Additional Comments". |
"I am just so exhausted - physically, mentally, and emotionally. I am about at my breaking point and am seriously considering leaving the field. I love working with the kids and [other] patrons, and I am passionate about literacy and libraries, but I just can't take it.""This is a tough job to do as a single woman. I am having a hard time supporting myself in today's economy on a single income, but I love my job and would hate to leave it."
"My director recently enacted a sort-of four day work week. Each librarian is given 8 WFH hours per week if it is possible. This has made my mental health so much better and improved my ability to get stuff done while I'm at work."
"My answers are very positive because I landed in what seems to be a unicorn library. I've worked...in 8 or so other libraries and my answers would have been on the low end of the scale for most."
"Your survey is very appropriate at this moment in my working life, as I've reached my breaking point with the lack of support...from my manager. Thank goodness the kids and their families are so wonderful and make my job fulfilling, because otherwise I'd be a puddle on the floor now. It bothers me how many managers like mine who have a background in adult services think that youth services is easy, fluffy, not important, and that youth services staff are less intelligent (I have 2 master's degrees...but she treats me like an imbecile)."
"This is the first library I've worked at where youth services is looked down on and often not included in the big picture decisions, but running into library staff who don't work in youth services who think working in youth is easy has been the case in every library I've worked at. I also feel the bar for success in youth services is set so much higher than other departments."
"I love my job and it is on me that I take it home. My boss repeatedly reminds me not to work over my hours or take it home. She doesn't want me to burn out."
"After 17 years I feel extremely burned out and am actively looking to make a career change out of librarianship. The difficulties with management have soured the last bit of joy I felt for this job. It's heartbreaking because this was my career that I started out feeling very passionately about, but at this point I just feel totally done."
Of course there are good situations and good supervisors, managers, and directors as some responses indicate, but responses also indicate that burnout is a serious problem despite that. The five primary issues seem to be:
- Unreasonable expectations and excessive workloads.
- Understaffing, and underqualified staffing.
- Low pay and inadequate benefits.
- Lack of respect, trust, and understanding of what youth services is all about and the knowledge and skills required.
- Lack of communication, transparency, inclusion, and recognition of accomplishments.
So, what can management do to improve things?
- Talk to your youth services staff! Make the effort to understand the demands of their jobs, why they do what they do, what the challenges are, and what their needs are; really listen! Include them in planning and decision-making.
- Recognize that they are professionals and know their job best. Treat the field and professionals within with respect. Give them enough autonomy to perform effectively and control the workload. Trust their judgement and allow them to say "no" to things. Believe them when they say their plates are already full.
- Hire more staff, recruit qualified staff, and provide adequate training. If you don't make it a priority, it will never happen.
- Fight for higher salaries and better benefits. Again, you have to make it a priority.
- Be present. Get out of the office and see what's going on in the library, help with a program, talk to caregivers after storytime, see how great your staff are at their jobs and how much they mean to the community.
- Just say "No"! Stop over-committing, we cannot do everything or be all things, to all people, all the time. We don't have to participate in every event, partner with every organization, or agree to every request.
If hiring more staff and raising salaries (and budgets) is not possible right now, then reduce workloads to what can reasonably be sustained with current staffing and budgets, and commensurate with current pay rates, and advocate for change! If you don't make it a priority and commit to making it happen, things will never change. Be more like this director:
"I'm a manager under the director...The issues we face - budgets, staff shortage, etc. are not my director's fault and he fully supports us, esp. in cutting back and doing a reasonable amount of programs and services...I know I am very fortunate in my current director, especially after previous experiences. The really big difference is that is doesn't matter if he doesn't fully understand what I'm doing, how much time it takes, etc. He supports and trusts me, so when I say "I can't reasonably do this" he says "Ok, don't do it" or "How can I support you and what kind of work around can we do, b/c the Board is requiring this" or if I say "I need A to do B" he either gets me A or says "well, we can't do B" then."
Though I have summarized the most repeated concerns in the tables and selected quotes above, I strongly encourage you to look at all of the results from the survey and read all of the comments from the open-ended questions, which can be found by following the links below:
I recognize this was a highly un-scientific survey with limitations, but I do think there is very valid and valuable information here, and I thank you for taking the time to read over it. I hope it gets shared and sparks some productive discussions that may effect some positive change, as I believe youth services will soon begin to see a mass exodus otherwise.
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