Hey! I’m a public high school librarian and have been thinking a ton about slow librarianship since one of your blog posts first introduced me to the concept. I just want you to know how meaningful this work is and continues to be for me— I’m really pondering and unpacking many old thought patterns. So thank you!

Thank you! I am sorry it took me so long to find you.

I am at home working now. I do not lack knowledge or technology, but rather motivation. I have depression and burnout. I have been designing and running underfunded programs alone for 20 years. I have often been underpaid (a form of abuse) and not infrequently villainized because I have had to operate without institutional mandate for my work.

Like so many LIS folks, I am a curious person, but my natural interest and compassion are being beaten down by the amount of stuff I have coming at me daily. And the internet makes it worse. My brain hurts!!! And what you say about vocation really hits home. I had so much vocation that I missed out on other things in life.

What I notice now, with great hope, is that we are all calling out abusive work environments. My hope is that we will not lose the gains we have made in autonomy over the course of the pandemic by running back to overwork under financial pressure. We have all undergone a traumatic period and need to do (or not do) whatever it takes to regain some sanity.

For my own part, I have often gravitated toward superhero projects to prove myself. That worked. Until it abruptly stopped working. Now I find myself in the unenviable position of over identifying with my professional accomplishments yet watching them dwindle as I spiral. Whew. It’s a lot to take in.

What I mean to say is: I hear you.