Meredith’s Slow Productivity (not to be mistaken for Cal Newport’s Faux Slow Productivity)
Image credit: Dolce Far Niente by John William Godward This is the fifth in a series of essays I've written on time. You can view a list of all of…
Slow productivity is a team sport: A critique of Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity
Image credit: Dolce far Niente by John Singer Sargent This is the fourth in a series of essays I've written on time. You can view a list of all of…
Posted inlibraries management MPOW Work
Open Offices are Neither More Open nor More Equitable
I can’t properly describe the level of annoyance I felt when I read Steven Bell’s latest piece in College and Research Libraries News about open offices entitled “We’re all about…
Universal design for work?
I've had migraines for over 20 years. I didn't seek workplace accommodations for them until this year. The biggest barrier to getting accommodations at work was my own internalized ableism,…
Posted infree the information! librarianship management Work
So I’m a conspiracy theorist now? A call for retraction
I know a lot of librarians get mad about poorly informed articles about libraries all the time. It's rare that I ever really get truly angry about an article. I…
When to say yes (or no)
Workaholism is a hard addiction to recover from. It's not like some addictions where you can avoid the places or substances that played a role. Most of us are not…
Posted inlibraries management Work
“Listening theater” and employee voice
I’ve been reading a lot about employee voice and silencing in organizations and there’s a phenomenon I haven’t really seen discussed explicitly in the literature, though it's possible I've missed…
Posted incareer libraries management Work Work-life balance
The crushing expectations on working women and where’s my fucking village?
On Friday and Saturday, my Twitter feed was full of anger and frustration over a blog post on the ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) Blog. Entitled "How Motherhood Has…
Posted inlibrarianship libraries management speaking Work
Recognition doesn’t have to be a zero sum game
As usual, the week the 2020 Library Journal Movers and Shakers were announced, I saw plenty of complaints about the award and, in some cases, awardees. I’ve been reading this…
Posted inALA hi librarianship libraries management Work Work-life balance
Thoughts on work, well-being, solidarity, and advocacy in our current… situation
I have been wanting to blog for weeks. I have several blog posts I started that I just couldn't get through. My attention span reminds me of my son's at…
Thoughts at Mid-Career Part 3 – Our Achievement Culture: What You’re Doing Will Never Be Enough
This is the third in a series of essays. You can access the rest here, though it’s not necessary to read them all or in order. Of all my annoying qualities, my…
Thoughts at Mid-Career Part 2 – Ambition: You are Not Enough
This is the second in a series of essays. You can access the first here, though it's not necessary to read them all or in order: “So maybe my great…
Posted inALA librarianship libraries library school management Work
“Devaluing” the MLS vs. respect for all library workers
I'm sure some of you remember the big push last year and early this year to require the MLS for the Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA) --…
Wayfinding and balance at mid-career
It's LIS Mental Health Week; a week focused on raising awareness of mental health. This post isn't about mental health per se, but something that I think, for me, is very…
Posted inlibraries management Work
Bias in climbing the career ladder and Hillary Clinton
This race must be familiar for many women: she’s overqualified for the promotion, he’s unqualified, and yet it’s still a contest.— (((Touré))) (@Toure) July 29, 2016 I had lunch with…
Posted inabout me career free the information! job search librarianship libraries library school management Work
Should the horrible first job search be seen as a rite-of-passage?
I felt really sad when I read Kyle Shockey's post on the Librarian Burnout blog about feeling burnout after library school and being in the midst of the job hunt.…
Posted inALA free the information! intellectual freedom librarianship libraries management open access
The Next Librarian of Congress?
Late last week, I received an email from the culture editor at the New Republic about writing an article on the next Librarian of Congress. It was the first offer…
Posted inlibrarianship libraries management Work
The insidious nature of “fit” in hiring and the workplace
Organizational culture is a very real and a very powerful force in every organization. I have worked in a variety of different organizations and each had had its own rituals, norms,…
Posted inlibrarianship libraries management
Managing the “whole person”
I've been wanting to write about managing people for a long time. This post has been marinating in my head for years and a few things managed to knock it…
Posted ininstruction librarianship management
Our new model for Freshman instruction and how it went
One year ago, I became our General Education Instruction Coordinator, which meant that I was in charge of our instruction to Freshman Inquiry and Sophomore Inquiry (our first and second…
