Keeping the home fires burning : Infinite Learning
Still water may run deep, but what lives in a stagnant pond? Can librarians stand as the cornerstone of a community if they do not receive care and opportunities for growth themselves? How can you pour from an empty cup?
These are the questions that I’ve been turning over when thinking about infinite learning. The idea of infinite learning, of course, is two fold. 1. The library is everywhere (Stephens, n.d.), and 2. therefore, endless learning and opportunities for such must exist and be ever-present and all around us. Library programming is a part of infinite learning, and so is everything else that is tangentially related: Ted Talks, Lego Clubs, or even fun stats about other libraries. No stone goes unturned in looking for ideas for the library, and every stone can be turned into an idea for the library. That said, librarians have to keep the home (well, the study) fires burning with learning opportunities, ideas, and resources for themselves, too. Librarian burnout is real, and the stress of keeping all that programming and information delivering and teaching going, and it is essential for library leadership to come up with meaningful solutions to help (Johnson, n.d.).
Placing value on people–people, not books (Stephens, n.d.a)! is what the library is all about. And this does not and cannot stop at patrons. Librarians need support and care too, and they also need targeted, substantial opportunities for growth and learning. Microcourses are one way to support librarians with limited budgets and time opportunities (Landgraf, 2024), and so are retreats, workshops, and librarian support groups (Stephens, n.d.b). Supporting learning goals and providing mentoring makes all people feel valued (Stephens, 2019) and seen, bringing the library’s values of empathy and growth home to roost. As Ruth Chan wrote in her wonderfully moving memoir Uprooted, courage, perseverance, and patience are skills needed not only for making it through some difficult times in one’s life, but those are also core valued and skills necessary for all members of the library community.
The natural curiosity and joy of the library must be nourished at the source (DuVernay, 2019) before being turned out into the public space, and into the wilds outside the library. All of our communities deserve to be seen, and we would be remiss in leaving out the people who do the work!
References
DuVernay, J. (2024, June 12). There is a joy for all: Tips for joyous library programming. Programming Librarian. https://programminglibrarian.org/articles/there-joy-all-tips-joyous-library-programming
Johnson, M. W. (n.d.). Keeping up with… Burnout. ACRL. https://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/burnout
Landgraf, G. (2024, January 22). Bite-sized professional development: Microcourses boost engagement at a library retreat. American Libraries. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/bite-sized-professional-development/
Stephens, M. (n.d.a). Hyperlinked library: Exploring the model [Webinar]. San José State University. https://sjsu-ischool.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=a0569381-4d66-4e0a-a7fa-aab3010a8f3e
Stephens, M. (n.d.b). Hyperlinked library: Professional learning [Webinar]. San José State University. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5cdfkmhia538v3cux296r/Hyperlinked-Library-Professional-Learning-Experiences_.mp4?rlkey=s5b0443cuo3ne1atnyrleum6h&e=1&st=yqpstpn9&dl=0
Stephens, M. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship: Finding hope, inspiration, and balance. ALA Editions.
3 Comments
Niko S
Hi Mei,
you make great points! How can libraries foster learning if the places and people are not cared for? Infinite learning entails infinite programming and services, but that sounds extremely daunting. Libaries are run by people who are constantly taking care of others, but who cares for them?? Thank you for bringing up these important issues.
Have a great rest of your summer!
Jane M
I really enjoyed the opportunity you present for library workers to take a pause, reflect, and develop alongside their work. Burnout is real and especially so in libraries when other social service needs go unfulfilled and and defaulted to the library. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just something librarians need time, tools for, and some say in. Last year I went to my first ever conference for librarians in a professional organization I am a part of through my work, and was nervous about being under-prepared and tried to psyche myself up for 3 days of very professional lectures, networking, etc. What I found instead was 3 days of opportunities to reflect and connect over our shared work through a model called ‘unconferencing.’ Networking was done over food and drinks and comfy seating. There were keynote speakers who were authentic in their perspectives and their experiences. I learned as much as I expected to, but through very different means. We as librarians need these opportunities to grow as professional, but also care for ourselves as people.
Sam Diaz
Hi Mei,
I couldn’t agree more that burnout is real especially in positions where we are serving communities and providing valuable resources. Its impossible to fill someone else’s cup if yours is empty and I think we are having more and more open and honest conversations about this. What are some ways that you destress and avoid burn out?
Thanks for sharing!