The stereotypical librarian is frequently perceived as having a quiet, easy and stress-free vocation. Of course, many of us know this is not necessarily the case, however, librarians tend to spend a great deal of their time trying to convince friends, acquaintances and anyone who will listen that their job is not like that. I use the word “librarians” as they are the focus of this book even though the term “information professionals” is used in the title.
The book is well structured and begins with the broader concepts of burnout, stress and depression before narrowing the focus to those working in libraries. It clarifies the differences and similarities of burnout, stress and depression before delving into more detail about those themes. The early chapters are very interesting and insightful and, as suggested, due to the broad nature of the issues, are relevant to any profession. When the book narrows its focus to information professionals (librarians) it continues to justify why working in libraries is such a stressful occupation. However, there is a section that discusses violence in libraries. This is a cause of serious stress-induced burnout, particularly for frontline staff.
One of the issues not discussed is whether those who enter the profession have a predilection to stress and burnout. With most of the librarianship programs across the globe being offered to postgraduates, there are many students (and subsequent graduates) who are undertaking study to enable a career change. Judging by my experience as an academic, some students enter LIM courses due to not coping in their previous careers and some of them are looking for a “softer” option. In most cases the softer option is a misconception. Nevertheless, it raises the question of whether some stress-prone people enter the profession. Furthermore, it is a good example of the idiom “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” as only those who work, or have worked as a librarian, really know what is involved.
To continue the issue of students and LIM courses, suggestions are proffered about the need for library schools to provide training in workplace burnout and violence strategies. With crowded curriculums in LIM courses I cannot see how these types of subjects or topics could be added. Maybe these are the issues that should be covered by library professionals during workplace practicums.
A highlight of the book was the discussion of “boreout”. This term is used to describe underwork, which interestingly, has symptoms almost identical to burnout. While people may joke that being bored would sometimes provide relief, the authors emphasise the serious consequences of boreout.
The book is well written, and due to the broad nature of many chapters, it would be relevant to many people outside the information profession. It is essentially a review of the literature and in this case, this is a definite strength of the book, as it comprehensively covers a lot of ground including the research findings of numerous studies.
It should also be remembered that many librarians are managers, chief executive officers and the like, which demonstrates the utility of the book and should be a reminder that library work involves more than being frontline staff. The latter chapters cover symptom recognition, preventing and overcoming burnout, and are particularly useful and provide an excellent conclusion to the book.
This book is well worth reading and relevant to all levels of staff in the library and information field, and one that librarianship students may care to read.
