Half Days On Saturday

I have said before, we in the library world need to take a hard look at how were are operating in the post-Covid world. We need to adjust. retool, and rethink our objectives. As Librarians, we have to do the same. And studies are there to prove the 40 hour work week and our "rise and grind" isn't working.  There are things out there libraries can do to help prevent these constant struggle with burn out and turn over that is plaguing the professional in the wake of Covid-19. 

For starters, let's treat Librarians like the professionals we are. From top to bottom, we have got to overhaul schedules. We have to! Libraries are not retail businesses! If Librarians wanted to work retail, they would. In fact they get into libraries often to get away from retail specifically for the hours. We would likely get paid better, and not be in as much debt from obtaining the degrees required. So let's stop with this retail mentality and this retail schedule. Most libraries do not have the resources to keep fully trained staff in the library to cover retail hours. We're not folding clothes, or upselling smartphones. You want quality reference services, programming, and customer service, you have got to have trained people to put those on. And those trained people do not want to be working untrained worker hours. That us going to be mean fewer weekends and nights. Plain and simple

If you listen, you can hear the branch managers wail..."BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF.!" Hire it! Library boards want doors open on retail hours, then hire enough...trained...people to staff it. Academic libraries do this, and successfully. Any college or university worth it's salt has trained Librarians on staff every hour they are opened. And often with fixed schedules for maximum efficiency. None of this half day here, "clopening" bullhockey. Public libraries need to take note of this and make those hard decisions to get to that point. Or adjustments need to be made to the door schedules. 

If Covid showed us anything, it's that successful libraries can survive without patrons coming in the door. Successful librarians can and should be able to thrive without this ridiculous schedules. We need to be programming on social media, configuring chat services in digital form, and making sure online services are available. This does not have to be done on the schedule of a high schooler's summer job. Well trained, highly motivated staff members want to work set schedules, with as few intrusions into their lives as possible. If libraries are going to ask for professional employees, then they need to respect a professional schedule, otherwise, the turn over rate, and burn out seen in Covid will continue. And that is only going to lead to further problems down the road.