Libraries as dysfunctional organizations and workplaces / edited by Spencer Acadia.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Acadia, Spencer, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Library employees--Job satisfaction.

Library employees.

Organizational change.

Libraries.

Library personnel management.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (317 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

London : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2023.

Summary:

"Libraries as Dysfunctional Organizations and Workplaces expands the 'dysfunctional' concept in the professional and academic LIS discourse by exposing the internal problematics of libraries, especially at the social and organizational level. Including contributions written by LIS professionals and scholars, the book demonstrates that although many libraries do well at attending to users and managing external information they often fail at taking care of their own employees and addressing internal workplace issues. Acadia and the contributing authors explore the problem of dysfunctional libraries so that the LIS profession can come to terms with the systemic dysfunction in their institutions and begin solution-oriented and change-positive progress toward new and sustainable functionality. The book analyses the dysfunctional nature of modern libraries, while simultaneously proposing solutions to reduce and alleviate dysfunction. Through theory and application, it takes an explicit practice-based approach with the intent to inform and explain dysfunction as experienced in the library workplace at individual and structural levels and perspectives. Libraries as Dysfunctional Organizations and Workplaces brings the dysfunction discourse to the attention of LIS academics and scholars, so that further theoretical and empirical research can proceed from and subsequently be addressed in library and information schools. The book will also be essential reading for librarians and LIS students currently working or preparing to work in public, college, and university libraries"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

Figures

Tables

Contributors

1 An Introduction to Dysfunction in the Library Workplace

Introduction: Why this Book and Who Is this Book For?

What Is Workplace Dysfunction?

Explanations for Workplace Dysfunction

Psychological

Organizational and Social

Workplace Dysfunction in Libraries

Four Topics in Library Dysfunction

Low Morale, Burnout, and Turnover

Problematic Recruitment, Retention, and Hiring Practices

Discrimination and Lack of Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Incivility, Harassment, and Bullying

Contents of this Book

Dysfunctional Libraries: A Western Or Global Problem?

Conclusion

References

2 The Dysfunctional Library and Academic Librarian Turnover

Introduction

Dysfunctional and Toxic Work Environments

Workplace Bullying

Inequitable Treatment

Morale

Burnout

Leadership

Recommendations for Addressing Turnover

Acknowledgments

3 Improving Dysfunctional Recruitment and Retention in Academic Libraries By Honoring the Whole Person

Dysfunction in Library Recruitment

Hiring for "Fit"

Assumed Understanding of the Recruitment Process

Requisite Experience

Critical Analysis of Job Descriptions

Critical Analysis of the Interview

Interview Questions

Interview Schedule

Critical Analysis of Evaluation Measures

Search Committees

Rubrics

Letters of Recommendation

Retention of Successful Candidates

Demystifying and Adjusting Promotion and Appraisal

Professional Development Support

Work-life Balance

Mentorship Programs and Community Networks

Library Spaces

4 Precarity Doesn't Care: Precarious Employment as a Dysfunctional Practice in Libraries.

Introduction

Effects of Precarious Employment

Factors Maintaining Precarious Employment in Libraries

Resisting Precarity

Addressing Attitudes and Values

5 Discrimination as Dysfunction: Why Do Libraries Have a Problem With Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?

History of Discrimination in Libraries

Racism

Sexism and LGBTQ+ Discrimination

Ableism

Contemporary Discrimination in Libraries

Contemporary Racism in Libraries

Contemporary Sexism, Gender Discrimination, and LGBTQ+ Workers in Libraries

Contemporary Ableism in Libraries

Marginalized Groups, Recruitment, and Retention

Recruitment

Onboarding

Mentorship

Continued Professional Development

6 Workplace Dysfunction and Intellectual Freedom in Public Libraries

Literature Review

Workplace Culture

Training and Resources

Policies and Procedures

Methods

Results and Discussion

General Survey Results

Workplace Culture of Intellectual Freedom

Additional Themes

7 The Saboteur in the Academic Library

Sabotage: Not Just a Beastie Boys Song

Why We Sabotage

Librarians Sabotage Initiatives to Preserve Status Or Increase Power

Librarians Sabotage New Projects to Preserve Past Work

Librarians Undermine and Refuse Requests in Order to Keep Jobs Manageable

Librarians Sabotage to Protect Themselves and Their Patrons

Costs of Sabotage

How Sabotage Contributes to Power Structures

Sabotage as Structural and Racialized Violence

On Helpful Saboteurs: The Race-Class-Gender Nexus of Workplace Expectations

A Framework for Addressing Sabotage: The Dohe Role-Mission Framework

Role: Job Candidates and New Hires.

Open-source Intelligence

Human Intelligence

Role: Library Staff and Librarians

Extract Your Allies-and Yourself-from a Hot Zone

Role: Team Leads and Managers

The Middle Manager as Double Agent

Role: Library Administrators and Leaders

8 "Put the Fucking Salary in the Job Ad!": An Analysis of an Anonymous Corpus of Tweets

The Library Workplace and Anonymity

Corpus Generation and VADER

Facets of Investigation

Engagement Score

Grief Index

Initial Impressions of the Corpus

Closer Examinations of the Corpus

Hashtag Tweets

Swear Word Tweets

Tweets With Media

Question-asking Tweets

Summary: Engagement Scores

Grief Index: A Closer Investigation

Note

9 You Are Seen: An Analysis of Library Dysfunction Found in Online Memes

Why Memes?

Data Collecting

Defining Library Dysfunction

Coding Guide

Work Environment

Dynamics With Patrons

Transformative Librarianship

Extraordinary Events

MLIS/MLS and the Job Market

Reflections and Conclusion

10 A Descriptive Study of Workplace Bullying in U.S. Libraries During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Workplace Bullying in Libraries

What Can Libraries Do About Workplace Bullying?

11 Work Alienation in Academic Libraries: A Marxist Analysis of Library Dysfunction

Marx and Work Alienation: A Theoretical Framework

Seeman's Five Aspects of Work Alienation

Powerlessness

Normlessness

Meaninglessness

Self-Estrangement

Isolation

Organizational Library Dysfunction and Work Alienation: Convergent Phenomena

Incivility and Work Alienation

Toxic Behavior and Work Alienation.

Organizational Deviance and Work Alienation

Workplace Politics and Work Alienation

Poor Communication and Work Alienation

Dysfunctional Libraries and Work Alienation: Redux

Administrators

Paraprofessionals Vs. Librarians

12 Bamboo Ceiling Reframed: Exclusion Through Social Practices and Structures in Libraries

The Bourdieusian Framework

Results

Discussion

Illusio and Habitus

Capital and Misrecognition

Symbolic Legitimation and Racism

Further Research

13 Combating Destruction: Organizational Power and Conflict in Academic Libraries

Group Behavior, Status, and Conflict

Social Identity Theory

Status Characteristics Theory

Social Learning Theory

Toward Solutions

Role of Library Leadership

Role of Tenure in Library Workplace Incivility

Future Research and Conclusion

14 Dysfunction By (Dis)organization: The Academic Library Within University Structure and Organization

Hierarchy in Higher Education

Organizational Structure: Where Do Libraries Fit?

IT and the Library

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781000798814

100079881X

9781003159155

100315915X

9781000798784

100079878X

OCLC:

1347697005