The Massachusetts Library System is pleased to announce that we have contracted with ALA to provide our members with access to their live webinars.  These webinars are free to MLS members who register through our calendar.  Please do not register directly with ALA. Members who register directly with ALA are responsible for paying their registration fee. 

Please help us keep MLS sponsored training free for all members. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, please cancel your registration. A cancellation link can be found in your confirmation email, or you may contact Sarah Donnelly at sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org to cancel. 

Description

The creation of a compassionate library ecosystem requires librarians, paraprofessionals, and supervisors to work in tandem to ensure that the workplace environment incorporates collegiality, self-care, and an acknowledgement of personal difference that allows all employees to operate within a sphere of safety. Incorporating compassionate and respectful practices into everyday interactions is only the beginning; the process also includes empowering employees to engage in activities that reflect their value, support and celebrate individual differences, and provide opportunities for healthy disagreement.

While the recognition that everyone is different and worthy of respect can be difficult to achieve, developing a climate that emphasizes this ethos is essential and worthwhile, especially in times fraught with uncertainty. Creating this type of environment can be distilled down into three major elements that will be covered in this presentation: permitting librarians and library staff to set boundaries related to their work output and input, building a shared concept of collegiality and practicing those qualities every day, and promoting and supporting self-care strategies that are mindful of individual differences. This presentation will discuss how supervisors can work with their departments to integrate these elements, leading to a more connected and effective team.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this webinar, attendees will learn:

• How to incorporate practices that promote positivity and well-being into their library environments in ways that promote department/team success;
• How respect, boundaries, and self-care can reduce interpersonal stress within the library; and
• How suggested activities can be scaled to fit their individual institutions, leading to actionable items.

Who Should Attend

Librarians and library administrators working in middle to upper management who supervise others.

Presenter

Elana Karshmer is the Head of Reference & Research Services at New Mexico State University. She completed her M.A. (L.I.S.) and PhD in English at USF. In 2009 Elana was named an American Library Association Emerging Leader, and in 2014, she won the ALA Library Instruction Roundtable’s Innovation in Instruction award for her work with first-year students. Elana is also a Past-President of the Florida Library Association and Florida ACRL. She has a PhD in postcolonial literature, focusing on the work of South African women writers, and has published articles in the fields of literature and library & information science. She has presented extensively both nationally and internationally and is especially concerned with the role of middle- and upper- administrators in promoting the success of libraries and libraries in the communities they serve. Elana believes that her work as a librarian allows her to teach critical thinking in a more efficient manner. Her work as a literary scholar enhances her ability to teach research skills and her work as a librarian gives her a unique perspective on the literary research process; in short, both fields contribute to one another and help her develop new ways of reaching students, faculty, and colleagues.

Accessibility Information

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.