Jennifer Osorio to lead UCLA Library Special Collections; UCLA Newsroom, January 25, 2022

Ariane Bicho , UCLA Newsroom; Jennifer Osorio to lead UCLA Library Special Collections

Special collections contains rare books, archives, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories and other rare and unique materials 

"As the next director of library special collections, Osorio will provide strategic vision and leadership to the department, including strategic planning, implementation and operations. On a day-to-day level, Osorio will work closely with unit heads and others to manage budgets, initiate and oversee major facilities projects, oversee collections and collaborate with faculty, donors and the community.

In support of teaching, research and public service, Osorio said she plans to devote substantial energy to building a more equitable, transparent and cohesive department that prioritizes inclusive description, reducing barriers to access and developing a sustainable approach to collection building, management and outreach.

“Leading a dynamic and forward-thinking department and building collections that represent the diverse and vital communities in Los Angeles — a city that I love and call home — is a significant calling,” Osorio said. “While it is tempting to orient ourselves solely toward the past, I’m eager to work with my colleagues and the Bruin community to advance the acquisition, preservation, promotion and accessibility of UCLA’s world-class collections with an eye to the future, with a passion for fresh discoveries, new knowledge and creativity for intellectual, educational and other pursuits.”"

There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing; The New York Times, April 19, 2021

Adam Grant, The New York Times ; There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing

The neglected middle child of mental health can dull your motivation and focus — and it may be the dominant emotion of 2021.

[Kip Currier: A military friend of mine who works in the Pentagon shared with me that their team's new leader sent a supportive message to the team this week and that the leader had also decided to share with the team this 4/19/21 New York Times article, excerpted here, because "if it helps one person on our team, or if you’re able to help someone out there, it’s worth it."

Let's pass this helpful information on to others too.] 

"A name for what you’re feeling

Psychologists find that one of the best strategies for managing emotions is to name them. Last spring, during the acute anguish of the pandemic, the most viral post in the history of Harvard Business Review was an article describing our collective discomfort as grief. Along with the loss of loved ones, we were mourning the loss of normalcy. “Grief.” It gave us a familiar vocabulary to understand what had felt like an unfamiliar experience. Although we hadn’t faced a pandemic before, most of us had faced loss. It helped us crystallize lessons from our own past resilience — and gain confidence in our ability to face present adversity.

We still have a lot to learn about what causes languishing and how to cure it, but naming it might be a first step. It could help to defog our vision, giving us a clearer window into what had been a blurry experience. It could remind us that we aren’t alone: languishing is common and shared.

And it could give us a socially acceptable response to “How are you?”

Instead of saying “Great!” or “Fine,” imagine if we answered, “Honestly, I’m languishing.” It would be a refreshing foil for toxic positivity — that quintessentially American pressure to be upbeat at all times.

When you add languishing to your lexicon, you start to notice it all around you. It shows up when you feel let down by your short afternoon walk. It’s in your kids’ voices when you ask how online school went. It’s in “The Simpsons” every time a character says, “Meh.”

Last summer, the journalist Daphne K. Lee tweeted about a Chinese expression that translates to “revenge bedtime procrastination.” She described it as staying up late at night to reclaim the freedom we’ve missed during the day. I’ve started to wonder if it’s not so much retaliation against a loss of control as an act of quiet defiance against languishing. It’s a search for bliss in a bleak day, connection in a lonely week, or purpose in a perpetual pandemic.

An antidote to languishing

So what can we do about it? A concept called “flow” may be an antidote to languishing. Flow is that elusive state of absorption in a meaningful challenge or a momentary bond, where your sense of time, place and self melts away. During the early days of the pandemic, the best predictor of well-being wasn’t optimism or mindfulness — it was flow. People who became more immersed in their projects managed to avoid languishing and maintained their prepandemic happiness."...

Give yourself some uninterrupted time

That means we need to set boundaries. Years ago, a Fortune 500 software company in India tested a simple policy: no interruptions Tuesday, Thursday and Friday before noon...

Focus on a small goal

The pandemic was a big loss. To transcend languishing, try starting with small wins, like the tiny triumph of figuring out a whodunit or the rush of playing a seven-letter word. One of the clearest paths to flow is a just-manageable difficulty: a challenge that stretches your skills and heightens your resolve. That means carving out daily time to focus on a challenge that matters to you — an interesting project, a worthwhile goal, a meaningful conversation. Sometimes it’s a small step toward rediscovering some of the energy and enthusiasm that you’ve missed during all these months.

Languishing is not merely in our heads — it’s in our circumstances. You can’t heal a sick culture with personal bandages. We still live in a world that normalizes physical health challenges but stigmatizes mental health challenges. As we head into a new post-pandemic reality, it’s time to rethink our understanding of mental health and well-being. “Not depressed” doesn’t mean you’re not struggling. “Not burned out” doesn’t mean you’re fired up. By acknowledging that so many of us are languishing, we can start giving voice to quiet despair and lighting a path out of the void.

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, the author of “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” and the host of the TED podcast WorkLife."

MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker, 56, has died; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 15, 2022

David Wickert, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker, 56, has died

"MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker, who led the public transit agency through an era of expansion and pandemic, died Friday night, the agency confirmed.

The agency said Parker died by suicide. An agency official confirmed he was struck by a train at the East Lake station. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office said it could release no details of Parker’s death until its investigation is complete.

“The MARTA Board of Directors grieves the shocking death of our GM/CEO Jeff Parker who has died by suicide,” Chairwoman Rita Scott said in a statement Saturday. “He was an outstanding leader and steward of MARTA whose passing leaves us all heartbroken...

Only on rare occasion does The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report death by suicide. The newspaper will typically respect the privacy of grieving families in such a circumstance. But in this case, a well-known public figure’s family is sharing the news with the public as a way to counter the stigma attached to suicide. The newspaper is honoring that request...

SEEKING HELP: Individuals with suicidal thoughts, or those who notice signs in others, can call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225, which is available around the clock. All calls are free and confidential. To find a mental health service provider, visit www.mygcal.com."

Help wanted: What Metro needs from its next general manager; NPR, January 24, 2022

JORDAN PASCALE, NPR; Help wanted: What Metro needs from its next general manager

"With Paul Wiedefeld stepping down in six months, Metro's board will be looking for a new leader to steer WMATA through some of its most trying times.

Using what we know about the system, and through interviews and statements from politicians and transit advocates, we put together a "job posting" to highlight what the next general manager will face when they come on board. (And no, this is not the official job posting. Metro's board is still working on that, we just hope this is a clever way to present the news)."

Why Your DEI Programs Are Not Working; American Libraries, January 23, 2022

Sanhita SinhaRoy , American Libraries; Why Your DEI Programs Are Not Working

"In her 15-minute Shop Talk session, “3 Reasons Your DEI Programs Are Not Working,” Elaina Norlin presented research and anecdotes from consulting on DEI issues to attendees of ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference on January 23.

Norlin, author of The Six-Step Guide to Library Worker Engagement (ALA Editions, 2021) and professional development and DEI program coordinator for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, began by noting that DEI programming is a billion-dollar business. In 2020, it was worth $8 billion and growing...

She suggested looking at three key areas within your institution:

Organization Climate. “It’s where your feelings are.” It’s the vibe or feel of your organization and where the DEI work resides. “It’s a snapshot.”

Organizational Norms. These are the rules of your organization. They dictate your day-to-day operations: your policies, procedures, strategic plans, and vision statements. “This is where the people-over-policy stuff comes into play.” Some rules and policies may have been written more than 25 years ago and may no longer fit how your organization operates today.

Organizational Culture. This is “the heart of the work.” This is where your company’s unwritten rules and expectations exist. This is where previous injustices, traumas, and status quos live. Even though you can’t necessarily see or feel it, culture “shapes the climate.” The problem: “You can’t change what’s unwritten.”"

What’s keeping HR up at night? The Great Resignation and much more; Human Resource Executive, January 24, 2022

Kathryn Mayer, Human Resource Executive; What’s keeping HR up at night? The Great Resignation and much more

"All the turmoil of recent years has employees re-evaluating their lives and work,” Jezior says, explaining that more than half of the workforce says the pandemic has them reevaluating their priorities and a third say it’s causing them to consider changing careers.

Furthermore, burnout and other stresses have soared as a result of COVID-19 and its associated challenges, with employees working longer hours, taking less time off, forgoing vacations and dealing with a loss of work-life balance as boundaries blur when they are working remotely.

“The pandemic was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Jezior says. “Employee burnout was simmering long before the pandemic, and now it’s boiled over. [More than half] of working Americans say they are burnt out at work, and that’s just an unsustainable situation for employers who want to keep their workers. Also, employees now have more leverage on salary and benefits, and they often are willing to go to the highest bidder.”"

UNM President seeks campus input on 2040 strategic plan; UNM (University of New Mexico), January 24, 2022

UNM (University of New Mexico); UNM President seeks campus input on 2040 strategic plan

"Last May, UNM President Garnett Stokes announced the start of planning for UNM 2040: Opportunity Defined, the multi-year plan for the future of The University of New Mexico. She announced in her weekly message the strategic planning process is now in one of the most important and exciting parts: gathering ideas from the campus community about the future of The University of New Mexico.

Timeline of planning

After UNM 2040: Opportunity Defined was launched virtually on May 7, 2021, multiple virtual focus groups for students, faculty, staff, and supporters were held from May 3-24. These events provided an early chance to share insights about how UNM can be more relevant, more visible, and more competitive for what it distinctly does best.

In October and November of 2021, the 2040 task forces took the emerging vision plan to a new level of detail by suggesting key activities that need to occur over the next five years for UNM to carry out its ambitious goals and realize its loftiest aspirations. A month later, a survey went out asking for feedback from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors about the draft vision framework. More than 1,600 Lobos completed the survey and helped better inform decision-making as the process moved forward.

The survey responses and other comments helped to fine-tune the vision framework and led to a revision of the plan, so goals and objectives were more reflective of the feedback."

Bloomsbury Acquisition of ABC-CLIO To Strengthen Tech, Market Reach; Library Journal, January 12, 2022

Maggie Knapp , Library Journal; Bloomsbury Acquisition of ABC-CLIO To Strengthen Tech, Market Reach

"Bloomsbury Publishing purchased ABC-CLIO in December 2021 for $22.9 million, bringing ABC-CLIO’s four imprints and 32 databases into U.K.-based Bloomsbury’s academic and professional division.

Becky Snyder, co-owner of ABC-CLIO, has 35 years with the company, which was founded in 1955. She noted that from her company’s perspective Bloomsbury was an optimal fit, as leadership looked at options to carry on the ABC-CLIO legacy. The imprints Praeger, Greenwood, and ABC-CLIO Solutions, as well as the company’s databases, often focus on historical and current events topics, presenting overviews, chronologies, primary sources, and analysis primarily for use in high school and up. Libraries Unlimited publishes educational and professional content for library and information service professionals.

One of the most compelling areas of opportunity Bloomsbury offered, Snyder said, was its strength and investment in current and future technology, which will allow ABC-CLIO products to continue the company’s commitment to scholarship while navigating accessibility standards, privacy protection, and emerging platforms and distribution formats."

Ways To Watch | Programs That Pop; Library Journal, January 19, 2022

Bill Harmer & Alex Giannini , Library Journal; Ways To Watch | Programs That Pop

 "As we learned during the pandemic, the library can provide greater access and further reach by simultaneously offering in-person and virtual services and programs. That means no matter how audience behaviors ultimately swing in the future, hybrid events will be a pillar of our new normal. We must continue to refine our capability of being anywhere and everywhere for anybody."

How to avoid 10 common ethics pitfalls; ABA Journal, June 1, 2020

DAVID L. HUDSON JR., ABA Journal; How to avoid 10 common ethics pitfalls

"Lawyers are stewards of their clients’ most sensitive and personal information. They serve as officers of the court and are in positions of public trust. But these high standards can lead to steep falls, and a lawyer who doesn’t carefully mind ethics obligations can quickly run afoul of the rules of professional responsi-bility. 

Most states require ethics training as part of continuing legal education requirements. But a quick scan of disciplinary records reveals lawyers behaving badly on a spectrum of issues—from improper advertising to mishandling private information and everything in between.

Whether intentionally flouting ethics rules or unwittingly succumbing to the many pitfalls that can appear, lawyers regularly face discipline for crossing the line. Being hauled in front of a disciplinary board can cause professional embarrassment, suspension of a law license and even disbarment. 

We asked legal ethics experts for a primer on the most pressing and pernicious ethics traps out there for the modern lawyer, along with best practices to avoid problems on the front end.

The lesson is to not only beware, but be aware."

The Great Faculty Disengagement; The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 19, 2022

Kevin R. McClure

 and Alisa Hicklin Fryar

, The Chronicle of Higher Education; The Great Faculty Disengagement

Faculty members aren’t leaving in droves, but they are increasingly pulling away.

"As many observers have pointed out, the “Great Resignation” doesn’t perfectly capture what’s happening in the U.S. labor market. Data suggest many people, especially those with jobs in fields like hospitality, aren’t quitting the work force but rather jumping to better opportunities.

In much the same way, the Great Resignation doesn’t perfectly capture what’s happening on college campuses. Faculty members, as unhappy as many of them are, are largely staying put. What has changed is how they approach their jobs...

In response to our Twitter thread, people said they were doing what they must, but nothing extra. They said they used to be a “rah-rah team player,” but not anymore. They used to feel strong ties to their institution, but they have since felt so undervalued that they’re cutting back. One response that especially stood out to us: “Faculty might not be quitting, but they’ve left the building — sometimes departure is a state of mind.”

It’s important to note that disengagement doesn’t suggest laziness or that faculty members and necessarily shirking their core responsibilities. We know — on a deep, personal level — that many faculty members are working very hard. Doing the bare minimum in a global pandemic is sometimes a herculean effort. In some ways, disengaging is a perfectly rational response if your employer signals through their words and actions that your engagement isn’t welcome. Many faculty members are being asked to do their jobs in a way that puts their safety at risk, and when they raise concerns, they are ignored and invalidated. It’s hard to bounce back from that...

Our big fear is that college leaders won’t do anything. We get the sense that some leaders think that if we can just get on the “other side” of the pandemic, things will magically improve. Like we’ll flip the switch back on and the faculty will reanimate. Going silent on this issue right now severely underestimates its magnitude.

The pandemic will eventually transition into something else, but its effects will linger. For how long and with what consequences depends on what college leaders decide to do right now."

Cynthia Chavez Lamar becomes the first Native woman to lead a Smithsonian museum; NPR, January 20, 2022

Joe Hernandez, NPR; Cynthia Chavez Lamar becomes the first Native woman to lead a Smithsonian museum

"The Smithsonian Institution has tapped Cynthia Chavez Lamar to become the director of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., which has one of the largest collections of Native and Indigenous items in the world.

She will be the first Native woman to serve as a Smithsonian museum director, the institution announced Wednesday."

2022–2026 Strategic Plan: Fostering Creativity and Enriching Culture; U.S. Copyright Office, January 20, 2022

U.S. Copyright Office; 2022–2026 Strategic Plan: Fostering Creativity and Enriching Culture

"The Copyright Office has released its 2022–2026 Strategic Plan: Fostering Creativity and Enriching Culture. The plan seeks to benefit the public by expanding the Office’s outreach, improving integration of data and technology, and continuing to provide expertise to the copyright community as a whole.

For more information about the strategic plan, download or view the complete document here."

Free Webinar: Students and Freedom of Expression on Campus: Tuesday, January 25, 2022 2 PM EST

Free Webinar: Students and Freedom of Expression on Campus

"Today’s students are challenging free-speech norms and are more likely than older generations to support restrictions that limit offensive speech. What’s more, the rise of social media, new sexual-harassment policies, and demands for more racial diversity and inclusiveness have sometimes complicated free expression on campus. In this environment, how can colleges promote open inquiry and discussion while balancing changing attitudes?

Join us for a virtual forum that brings together Michael S. Roth, the president of Wesleyan University, and other experts to share their perspectives on these topics:

• How is free expression evolving on college campuses?
• How do college leaders respond to claims that their institutions have become unwelcoming places for certain views?
• How can colleges mitigate potential conflicts when they do arise?

With Support From the Knight Foundation"

Register here.

The public library is the latest place to pick up a coronavirus test. Librarians are overwhelmed.; The Washington Post, January 19, 2022

Julie Zauzmer Weil , The Washington Post; The public library is the latest place to pick up a coronavirus test. Librarians are overwhelmed.

"Melanie Huggins, the president of the American Library Association’s Public Library Association, said library leaders have been eager to turn their buildings into test distribution sites: “We’re in neighborhoods. We know these communities. We know the people that are walking in the doors.”"

Are You Ethical-Ish? Take This Ethics Quiz And Find Out!; Forbes, January 11, 2022

 Bruce Weinstein, Forbes ; Are You Ethical-Ish? Take This Ethics Quiz And Find Out!

"Are you ethical-ish? That is, how committed are you to doing the right thing? Take this multiple-choice quiz and find out. Keep track of your answers, and tally the points at the end. A key, followed by an analysis of the results, will reveal all."

IFLA Trend Report 2021 Update released!; IFLA, January 6, 2022

 IFLA; IFLA Trend Report 2021 Update released!

"IFLA is happy to share the 2021 Update of its Trend Report, based on the ideas submitted by emerging library leaders ahead of our World Library and Information Congress. We invite you to look through, and think how these trends will interact and impact upon our institutions, our profession and our communities. 

The future has, arguably, rarely been more uncertain.

To ensure the sustainability of our communities, institutions and profession, we owe it to ourselves to think through the trends and forces that may shape the world around us in the years to come, be they political, economic, technological, cultural or environmental.

IFLA’s Trend Report series – launched in 2013, and with updates in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 – is there to support this reflection as a key part of individual and organisational development.

We are therefore very happy today to launch the the 2021 Update of IFLA’s Trend Report, with a foreword by IFLA President Barbara Lison, and an introduction by Secretary General Gerald Leitner.

The Update focuses on the ideas shared by emerging library leaders from around the world that provided the foundations for the President-elect’s session at the World Library and Information Congress.

The Update shares 20 different suggested trends – some complementary, some contradictory – that the people who will be leading our field in ten years felt would mark their professional lives. For each one, a short section highlights key questions and aspects, as well as potential responses for the library field. The trends are:

1. Tough times ahead
2. Virtual is here to stay
3. The comeback of physical spaces
4. The rise of soft skills
5. Diversity gets taken seriously
6. An environmental reckoning
7. A mobile popupation
8. The impatient user
9. An analogue backlash
10. Scale matters
11. Data domination
12. Search transformed
13. Race to the extremes
14. Lifelong learners
15. A single, global collection
16. The privatisation of knowledge
17. Qualifications matter
18. Information literacy recognised
19. ‘Open’ raises questions about libraries’ unique selling point
20. Inequalities deepen

It also shares ideas about how to work with the trends, including carrying out your own version of the President-elect’s session within your association or other group, and variations on this model.

Read the Trend Report 2021 Update at the link below. It is also available on the Trend Report website."

New Vikings regime could be 'breath of fresh air' as improving culture plays key role; ESPN, January 14, 2022

Courtney Cronin ESPN Staff Writer, ESPN; New Vikings regime could be 'breath of fresh air' as improving culture plays key role

"Whomever the Minnesota Vikings (Links to an external site.) hire as their next head coach has an important order of business: fix the disconnect between players and coaches.

When Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf fired coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday, it became clear that players, ownership and many inside the organization felt a culture shift was needed to move the franchise in the right direction...

“I don't think a fear-based organization is the way to go,” linebacker Eric Kendricks (Links to an external site.) said.

How the culture needs to change within a team that missed the playoffs the last two seasons takes center stage for the Vikings, who aren’t looking for the new regime to oversee a rebuild, but rather to make essentially the current roster a Super Bowl contender."

How can employees and businesses deal with bullying in the hybrid workplace?, Lexology, January 11, 2022

Stewarts - Charlie Thompson , Lexology ; How can employees and businesses deal with bullying in the hybrid workplace?

"Bullying at work reflects the culture of a workplace. Certain conditions create a hospitable environment for bullying, whether it is leadership failures, excessive work pressure, a workplace full of cliques, policies that are not enforced, lack of training or an HR team that is not empowered to tackle problems. In this article, originally published in HRM Guide, Charlie Thompson considers how workplace bullying has changed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what employees can do about it."

Your Company's Diversity Efforts Need to Include Learning Differences; Time, January 10, 2022

FRED POSES , Time ; Your Company's Diversity Efforts Need to Include Learning Differences

"There’s no denying that the past two pandemic years have been uniquely challenging for managers and employees alike. But amid all the upheaval Covid has brought to our working lives, it’s also sparked two trends that, taken together, signal a moment of real change for workers with thinking and learning differences.

The first is companies’ increased commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Despite the fact that one in five people in the United States is born with ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, or other atypical abilities, they’ve often been left out of discussions about DEI. But when an organization can honestly reflect on how its systems prioritize some groups over others—on whose needs get elevated and whose needs get sidelined—it creates new space for those with learning differences to make themselves heard."

How I learned to find work-life balance during the COVID-19 pandemic; ABA Journal, January 11, 2022

SATEESH NORI, ABA Journal; How I learned to find work-life balance during the COVID-19 pandemic

"I now realize that I did not have a healthy work-life balance for most of my career. I was sleep-deprived, constantly moving from meeting to meeting, and was never able to reflect on what was and is most important to me as a human being. I need to protect myself from the exhaustion, burnout and cynicism that was building within me about my work. I need to save time for those moments in life with my friends and family that I will cherish at the end of the road.

I will move forward with this perspective, grateful for it, fortunate about the privilege that I relied upon during the pandemic, and eager to pass this insight on to others."

Americans are tuning out as omicron rages. Experts call for health messaging to adapt; NPR, January 12, 2022

YUKI NOGUCHI, NPR; Americans are tuning out as omicron rages. Experts call for health messaging to adapt

"Some say the messaging needs to shift to become shorter and simpler and even nod to a brighter future when the pandemic is over...

The problem with COVID-19 messaging, of course, is that the pandemic is not simple to understand. And public health recommendations are based on an evolving understanding of new science, so messages are necessarily complex and they change frequently.

Normally, whether it's seat belt recommendations or smoking cessation, messages do not change often. Yet even consistent messages take time for the public to absorb.

"The challenge we always have with communications, they always say people need to hear things seven times before it really sticks," says Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association...

But vaccines also offer an opportunity for more effective messaging, Benjamin says. Vaccines have altered the threat that COVID-19 poses to people who are vaccinated, he says, and public health leaders can acknowledge that progress and give people a road map for the future, based on how previous pandemics have ended. He argues that people might be more receptive to listening to messages if they're focused on looking forward.

"There is a reluctance to give people information because we're afraid of being wrong three months from now, but I think we do need to give people a sense of hope and we need to tell people what we anticipate going forward and how this ends," he says."

Meet the 2022 I Love My Librarian Award Winners; American Libraries, January 10, 2022

 Chase Ollis, American Libraries ; Meet the 2022 I Love My Librarian Award Winners

ALA honors 10 librarians for outstanding service

"On January 10 the American Library Association (ALA) announced the 10 winners of this year’s I Love My Librarian Award, nominated by patrons for their expertise, dedication, and profound impact in their communities. Three academic librarians, three public librarians, three school librarians, and one prison librarian are receiving the award this year...

John Paul Mahofski

Correctional Librarian

Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, Maryland

During his time at Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI), Mahofski (or “Mr. M,” as most of his patrons know him) has introduced programs that have improved library and information services for the prison population he serves, notably creative writing, typing, and summer reading. For some programs, participants received a certificate of completion.

When the pandemic forced the library space to close, Mahofski pivoted library services to a bookmobile model, delivering materials and information requests to and from inmates multiple times a week. The bookmobile model was extended to similarly transport homework between teachers and students in ECI, and it was later adapted by other institutional libraries.

Mr. M “does everything in his power to make the brief time we have in the library an enjoyable and useful experience,” his nominator wrote."

When Librarians Unionize; Inside Higher Ed, January 12, 2022

 Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed; When Librarians Unionize

"‘These Are Incredibly Hard Times’

A 2020 study from the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions at the City University of New York’s Hunter College found that more than a dozen new higher education bargaining units formed between 2013 and 2019 included librarians. William Herbert, executive director of the center, noted that student library workers at the University of Chicago formed a union in 2018, and he said he wouldn’t be surprised to see future library unionization efforts, particularly by nonfaculty librarians and library workers at other private institutions.

Honn said, “I think these are incredibly hard times for libraries and library workers everywhere. From public libraries being taken over by corporate and conservative boards bent on destroying a massively important public good to universities manufacturing austerity despite record returns on their endowments, libraries are definitely under attack.""

How to Get People to Speak Up in Virtual Meetings; Harvard Business Review (HBR), January 10, 2022

Joel Schwartzberg, Harvard Business Review (HBR); How to Get People to Speak Up in Virtual Meetings

"There’s no question that virtual meetings have made workplace communications easier. Not only are virtual meetings easier to arrange and attend (just count how many more Zoom meetings you have now compared to live meetings you had then), but features like chat, Q&A, breakout rooms, reaction icons, virtual whiteboards, and a range of apps have made it easier than ever to ask questions and request ideas from meeting attendees.

But proposing a question and receiving meaningful answers are two very different things, which brings up an age-old question with a modern twist: How do you ask for ideas or feedback during a virtual meeting in a way that returns valuable answers (and not just from the usual extroverts)?

Based on my experience leading meetings, working with meeting leaders, and exploring ways to improve virtual meeting effectiveness, below are eight tactics to get responses from even the most mute-happy meeting members.

1. Share Your Questions Ahead of Time

If you’re asking people for insight, it’s only fair to give them as much time as possible to think about the problem at hand. Once you’ve established who’s attending the meeting, email them up to five of the questions you will be asking. Place those questions in the meeting agenda and the calendar listing so everyone knows what’s coming and can prepare."