Two members of Google’s Ethical AI group leave to join Timnit Gebru’s nonprofit; The Verge, February 2, 2022

 Emma Roth, The Verge; Two members of Google’s Ethical AI group leave to join Timnit Gebru’s nonprofit

"Two members of Google’s Ethical AI group have announced their departures from the company, according to a report from Bloomberg. Senior researcher Alex Hanna, and software engineer Dylan Baker, will join Timnit Gebru’s nonprofit research institute, Distributed AI Research (DAIR)...

In a post announcing her resignation on Medium, Hanna criticizes the “toxic” work environment at Google, and draws attention to a lack of representation of Black women at the company."

Where Automated Job Interviews Fall Short; Harvard Business Review (HBR), January 27, 2022

Zahira Jaser, Dimitra Petrakaki, Rachel Starr, and Ernesto Oyarbide-Magaña, Harvard Business Review (HBR) ; Where Automated Job Interviews Fall Short

"The use of artificial intelligence in HR processes is a new, and likely unstoppable, trend. In recruitment, up to 86% of employers use job interviews mediated by technology, a growing portion of which are automated video interviews (AVIs).

AVIs involve job candidates being interviewed by an artificial intelligence, which requires them to record themselves on an interview platform, answering questions under time pressure. The video is then submitted through the AI developer platform, which processes the data of the candidate — this can be visual (e.g. smiles), verbal (e.g. key words used), and/or vocal (e.g. the tone of voice). In some cases, the platform then passes a report with an interpretation of the job candidate’s performance to the employer.

The technologies used for these videos present issues in reliably capturing a candidate’s characteristics. There is also strong evidence that these technologies can contain bias that can exclude some categories of job-seekers. The Berkeley Haas Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership reports that 44% of AI systems are embedded with gender bias, with about 26% displaying both gender and race bias. For example, facial recognition algorithms have a 35% higher detection error for recognizing the gender of women of color, compared to men with lighter skin.

But as developers work to remove biases and increase reliability, we still know very little on how AVIs (or other types of interviews involving artificial intelligence) are experienced by different categories of job candidates themselves, and how these experiences affect them, this is where our research focused. Without this knowledge, employers and managers can’t fully understand the impact these technologies are having on their talent pool or on different group of workers (e.g., age, ethnicity, and social background). As a result, organizations are ill-equipped to discern whether the platforms they turn to are truly helping them hire candidates that align with their goals. We seek to explore whether employers are alienating promising candidates — and potentially entire categories of job seekers by default — because of varying experiences of the technology."

Strategic plan focuses on creating diverse community, student success; The Oracle, February 1, 2022

Kellie Murray, The Oracle; Strategic plan focuses on creating diverse community, student success

"The USF Strategic Planning Steering Committee’s five-year plan, to be applied across all campuses, is driven by encouraging student and faculty success, increasing partnerships and diversity in the university community and a strong financial base.

Interim President Rhea Law presented the strategic plan, “In Pursuit of Excellence,” on Jan. 25 to the Florida Board of Governors (BOG), seeking and successfully obtaining unanimous approval. It is set to be implemented July 1. 

The plan consists of five main goals, 22 objectives, 68 measures of success and 131 granular measurements which are set to be completed by 2027, according to Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee Pritish Mukherjee."

Humility Is an Undersung Leadership Skill. Adam Grant Says These 2 Interview Questions Screen for It; Inc., September 13, 2021

JESSICA STILLMAN, Inc.; Humility Is an Undersung Leadership Skill. Adam Grant Says These 2 Interview Questions Screen for It

How to figure out if someone is truly a humble team player in a job interview.

 

"In life, it's often those who toot their own horn the loudest who draw the most attention, but an absolute mountain of evidence shows that humility is actually an essential skill for great leadership. Academic studies show staying humble helps us learn more quickly, and that teams of humble leaders tend to perform better. Jeff Bezos has even cited intellectual humility as his top sign of true intelligence. 

Which means if you're hiring for any sort of leadership position, you're going to want to assess the ability of candidates to empower others, acknowledge their own limitations, and learn from errors. But while screening for applicants' willingness to trumpet their accomplishments is easy, how do you get at a quieter trait like humility?"

Collective Support: LJ’s 2022 Librarians of the Year; Library Journal, January 4, 2022

Lisa Peet, Library Journal; Collective Support: LJ’s 2022 Librarians of the Year

"Each January, Library Journal bestows its Librarian of the Year award on a North American library professional or team whose work embodies the best of the profession’s mission. These have ranged from academic to public to special librarians, and from directors and state librarians to patron-facing staff, but all have demonstrated accomplishments that reflect their commitment to free access to information, service to all areas and constituencies, and strengthening the library role in the community.

The past year has asked much from library workers across the country, among many others. COVID-19 continued to create unprecedented challenges, requiring library staff to balance patron and student needs with their own safety and that of their colleagues and loved ones...

For all of the above and countless other reasons, the winner of LJ’s 2022 Librarian of the Year award, sponsored by Baker & Taylor, is all library staff. It’s you, reading this. It’s your colleague behind the front desk, the volunteer shelving books, the outreach worker in the bookmobile, the tech staff member setting someone up with their first email account, the instructional librarian helping a first-year student navigate college resources, the school librarian fighting to keep Lawn Boy and Ruby Bridges Goes to School on the shelves for students eager to see the diversity of their world reflected in their reading, the medical librarian wrangling pandemic research to support colleagues saving lives. Congratulations. You’ve earned it.

Fittingly, the idea was inspired by a library staffer."

Systemwide Interventions to Reduce Stress Among LGBTAQI+ Individuals; Duquesne University, Free Webinar Open to All: Tuesday, February 16, 2022 Noon - 2 PM EST via Zoom

Duquesne University; Systemwide Interventions to Reduce Stress Among LGBTAQI+ Individuals

The upcoming Père Jacques Laval C.S.Sp., Global Public Health Speaker Series event will offer an overview of the minority stress model, focusing on its use in designing systemwide interventions in health care and education to reduce negative stress among LGBTAQI+ people.

The online event will be held Tuesday, Feb. 16, from noon to 2 p.m. via Zoom. It will feature keynote speaker Associate Pharmacy Professor Dr. Kyle Wilby from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  

Wilby's educational research focuses on program evaluation, diversity and inclusion within education systems, assessor cognition, strategic planning and optimizing students' learning environments. He also is an active researcher in LGBTQ2+ health and cultural safety training for health care professionals.  

RSVP online by Monday, Feb. 15. The event is free and open to the public. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants the morning of the event.  

For more information, call 412.396.2651 or email the Center for African Studies.  

The Père Jacques Laval C.S.Sp., Global Public Health Speaker Series is co-sponsored by the Center for African Studies, the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, the School of Nursing, the proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine, the School of Pharmacy and the John G. Rangos School of Health Sciences.

Burrowed in Books; American Libraries, January 31, 2020

Terra Dankowski, American Libraries; Burrowed in Books

World-famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil lives at the library when he’s waiting for his special day

[Kip Currier: Happy Groundhog Day 2022! Western Pennsylvania's famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning and predicts 6 more weeks of winter.

In terms of management and leadership, this 2020 article that the American Library Association's American Libraries magazine reposted on its website is a great example of ways that leaders, like Punxsutawney Memorial Library Director Jessica Church, can market services that they offer and communicate their missions and visions with existing and potential users/patrons/customers. Below is a photo I took on February 2, 2020, showing cleverly designed reading-promoting Punxsutawney Memorial Library T-Shirts for sale at the library--where Phil and his groundhog wife Phyllis live. And yes--I did buy several T-Shirts and talked with the friendly library staff who were on hand to answer questions of all kinds for hundreds of visitors.]

"American Libraries talked with Jessica Church, director of Punxsutawney (Pennsylvania) Memorial Library, about Phil’s free time, what his renown means for the small town, and the mainstay marmot questions the library gets asked...

What does Phil mean to the community? How many years has he been living at the library, and has his celebrity helped raise its profile?

Phil means a lot to many different people in Punxsutawney. He means pride, tradition, local history, and community. [He’s] a symbol for western Pennsylvania. He’s been here at this address since the 1970s.

We get people year-round, from all over the world, who come to see Phil. It’s on their bucket list, so they’ll come and talk to us about what Phil means to them. One was a woman from the South, and she came with her father. They host Groundhog Day parties because everyone has Christmas parties, everyone has Super Bowl parties, so they host the groundhog party every year. After 15 years she finally had a chance to make it up here and meet Phil, so it was an awesome conversation to have.

[People] not only come to look at Phil, but because we’re a library, people like to see what we have to offer. We’re located next to what is called Barclay Square [at the center of town], so our library gets a lot of foot traffic."

Remembering Thich Nhat Hanh, Brother Thay; On Being with Krista Tippett, January 27, 2022, Original Air Date September 25, 2003

On Being with Krista Tippett; Remembering Thich Nhat Hanh, Brother Thay

"Tippett: I wonder if you can think of, say, a situation where you think you might have done something differently than you would have before, a concrete way in which it changed your action or reaction in some way.

Ward: When my mother passed away, about seven years ago, I was actually on vacation with my wife and some friends in Costa Rica. And I was in a small village that only had two telephones, one private, one public; the public one did not work. This was around Christmastime. So when I was finally able to get a phone and call, I found out my mother died. And so I went — took three days to get back to Cleveland, where she was, and by that time, she was already buried. And my father was overwhelmed with grief. And he was so overwhelmed with grief that after the burial, he went home and he shut the door and he wouldn’t let any of the children in the house.

So I started sending him flowers and love letters over six months’ time. And I would go visit, and I’d sit outside the house and bring my flowers and put them on the porch — and this is after flying from Idaho or wherever I was — and I knew he was in there, and I’d leave them, and then I’d go on and visit my sister, you know, etc., etc. And finally he opened the door, which was, to me, opening the door to himself. And so now we’re in a totally different environment and a different situation. And I’m certain that without the practice, that is not how I would have responded to an experience of “rejection.”

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. If I’d have been operating out of that mindset of my youth, I would’ve just said, you know, Forget you. And instead, I was able to understand what was happening to my father. I could see and feel his suffering, his tremendous heartbreak. I knew that he didn’t have any training in dealing with emotion — none. And I knew that in my family, my mother was the emotional intelligence, and that when she passed away, he had no skills, no capacity to handle the huge ocean of grief he found himself in. So my practice was to communicate to him that I was there for him, that I supported him, and that I loved him, but my practice also was to hold compassion for him and myself and my family so that we could all go through our grieving process peacefully, and at our own pace...

Tippett: A cynic would say, well, he can give these beautiful teachings about ending violence,  and then there are these individuals who come to a retreat like this, who are clearly taking this seriously and taking this back to their lives, but they’re just drops in the ocean.

Ward: That is true. I am a drop in the ocean; but I’m also the ocean. I’m a drop in America, but I’m also America. Every pain, every confusion, every good and every bad and every ugly of America is in me. And as I’m able to transform myself and heal myself and take care of myself, I’m very conscious that I’m healing and transforming and taking care of America. Particularly I’m saying this for American cynics — [laughs] but this is also true globally. And so as we’re able, however small, however slowly, it’s for real.

Tippett: Larry Ward co-founded The Lotus Institute, a meditation center devoted to the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2020 he published a new book, America’s Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal."

After a Historic Game, Patrick Mahomes Desperately Wanted to Speak With One Person. It's a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence; Inc., January 25, 2022

JUSTIN BARISO , Inc.; After a Historic Game, Patrick Mahomes Desperately Wanted to Speak With One Person. It's a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence

"Feeling Empathy vs. Showing Empathy

Psychologists Daniel Goleman and Paul Ekman have described three different

types of empathy:

• Cognitive: the ability to understand how another person thinks and feels
• Emotional: the ability to share the feelings of another person
• Compassionate: taking action, to help however one can

As you can see, compassionate empathy is the only one of the three that is active. Compassionate empathy moves a person to actually do something about what they've discovered. And while it may be the most challenging of the three to demonstrate, it's also the most rewarding.

But you might wonder, what would have motivated Mahomes to make such an effort to speak to a fierce competitor?

Rewind back to 2019, when Tom Brady and the Patriots defeated Mahomes and the Chiefs in a very similar fashion. After the game, Brady made a special effort to speak to Mahomes, to share an encouraging word and to help Mahomes keep his chin up.

"He said that he loved the way that I played," Mahomes once revealed in an interview with Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon. "It was awesome for him to do that and to show that class at such an exciting moment."

This is why we say empathy begets empathy. 

When a person feels understood, they're more likely to try to reciprocate that effort. Or, as Mahomes demonstrates, to pay that empathy forward.

And the more you exercise your empathy muscle, the stronger it gets. For Mahomes, it will become only easier to show empathy the next time--to his wife, his family, his teammates, his coach, his friends, his competitors.

The result? You earn the respect of others, and are able to build stronger, deeper, more loyal relationships.

So, the next time you see someone suffering through something you've experienced, resist the urge to brush them aside. Instead, take a page out of Mahomes's playbook, and show some empathy.

It'll make you, and the people around you, that much better."

Is Old Music Killing New Music?; The Atlantic, January 23, 2022

 Ted Gioia, The Atlantic ; Is Old Music Killing New Music?

"A series of unfortunate events are conspiring to marginalize new music. The pandemic is one of these ugly facts, but hardly the only contributor to the growing crisis.

Consider these other trends:...

When a new song overcomes these obstacles and actually becomes a hit, the risk of copyright lawsuits is greater than ever before. The risks have increased enormously since the “Blurred Lines” jury decision of 2015, and the result is that additional cash gets transferred from today’s musicians to old (or deceased) artists.

Adding to the nightmare, dead musicians are now coming back to life in virtual form—via holograms and “deepfake” music—making it all the harder for young, living artists to compete in the marketplace...

I learned the danger of excessive caution long ago, when I consulted for huge Fortune 500 companies. The single biggest problem I encountered—shared by virtually every large company I analyzed—was investing too much of their time and money into defending old ways of doing business, rather than building new ones. We even had a proprietary tool for quantifying this misallocation of resources that spelled out the mistakes in precise dollars and cents.

Senior management hated hearing this, and always insisted that defending the old business units was their safest bet. After I encountered this embedded mindset again and again and saw its consequences, I reached the painful conclusion that the safest path is usually the most dangerous. If you pursue a strategy—whether in business or your personal life—that avoids all risk, you might flourish in the short run, but you flounder over the long term. That’s what is now happening in the music business.

Even so, I refuse to accept that we are in some grim endgame, witnessing the death throes of new music." 

Ridgeland Mayor Demands LGBTQ+ Book Purge, Threatens Library Funding; Mississippi Free Press, January 25, 2022

Nick Judin Mississippi Free Press; Ridgeland Mayor Demands LGBTQ+ Book Purge, Threatens Library Funding

"Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee is withholding $110,000 of funding from the Madison County Library System allegedly on the basis of his personal religious beliefs, with library officials stating that he has demanded that the system initiate a purge of LGBTQ+ books before his office releases the money.

Tonja Johnson, executive director for the Madison County Library System, told the Mississippi Free Press in an afternoon interview that she first reached out to Mayor McGee after failing to receive the City of Ridgeland’s first quarterly payment of 2022.

Johnson said the mayor informed her that no payment was forthcoming. “He explained his opposition to what he called ‘homosexual materials’ in the library, that it went against his Christian beliefs, and that he would not release the money as the long as the materials were there,” the library director said.

The director then explained to the mayor that the library system, as a public entity, was not a religious institution. “I explained that we are a public library and we serve the entire community. I told him our collection reflects the diversity of our community,” Johnson said."

Q&A: How Empathy Makes for Effective Leadership; HR Exchange Network, January 3, 2022

Francesca Di Meglio , HR Exchange Network; Q&A: How Empathy Makes for Effective Leadership

"The next generation of leaders must have empathy. Life is hard, and the pandemic made it harder. So, kindness and heart are becoming more important than even practical skills like accounting. Many employees are facing tremendous pressure, and now HR leaders are responding. Mental health and wellness are top priorities of organizations aiming to recruit and retain top talent. 

As a result of this shift, employers are recognizing the need for softer skills in hires. Recently, Maria Leggett, director of Education at MHI in Charlotte, North Carolina, spoke to HR Exchange Network about the importance of empathy in leadership. Leggett will be hosting a session at the online event HR and the Future of Work, which takes place February 22 to 24, 2022. 

HREN: Why is empathy vital to leadership? Why has it come to the forefront now?

ML: There is room for kindness. Now more than ever, we need kindness in the workplace. With the talent shortage and remote work, employees have more and more career options. As a result, managers need to be more people-focused and incorporate empathy and kindness into their leadership approach.

Empathy is about understanding. Having compassion allows us to see different points of view and perspectives. Employees want to be more than just "seen." They want their managers to know that they work hard and accomplish a lot while having a life outside of work. When managers connect and collaborate with their teams effectively, they learn more about their strengths and skills and get the most out of their interactions with their teams. Empathy helps facilitate that.

HREN: How do you teach or help managers to be empathetic?

ML: Slow down, ask questions, listen more, and be authentic. When people hear more and talk less, they can be open to different perspectives and respond more appropriately to situations.  While managers may have to deliver feedback that is not always positive, people are more likely to receive the input when delivered with empathy and genuine authenticity.  

COVID has allowed people to be more authentic as they worked out of their homes, allowing people to see a personal side and providing people space to be their whole self. That won’t change when things get back to a more stable state. COVID has demonstrated that people can still show up and accomplish great work, even with a chaotic personal life. No one has time for someone to be micro-managing, uncompromising, and lacking empathy. Empathy is changing the fabric of our work culture."

Why Legal Department Mission Statements Are Mission Critical During the Great ‘Reflection’; Law.com, January 25, 2022

Catherine Kemnitz, Law.com; Why Legal Department Mission Statements Are Mission Critical During the Great ‘Reflection’

It’s been termed the Great Resignation but as a colleague of mine likes to say, it should really be called the Great Reflection. We’re not seeing lawyers question whether they should be practicing law, but rather reflecting on how, why, and for whom they practice it.

"So when Axiom, in collaboration with Wakefield Research, conducted a survey of 220 legal department heads at companies with $250 million or more in annual revenue we aimed to dive deeper into more unusual, but critically important terrain. We focused on examining how COVID impacted GCs and the legal teams trying to reconcile changing business demands with the values of their departments and broader organizations.

What we found underscored the importance of values to the in-house team and the critical role GCs play in developing those values, articulating them, and leading organizational adherence to them.

Here’s the headline: 85% of GCs surveyed believe that the legal department has a responsibility to be the primary driver of company values. Those values vary by organization but typically include complying with relevant laws and regulations; an emphasis on social responsibility and human interests; promoting diversity and inclusion; addressing social, environmental and human rights concerns; and importantly, the development, retention, and well-being of the legal team...

Actioning Department Values 

What we found is that adherence to values isn’t just talk, it’s action...

Mission Statements: The Haves and Have Nots

A mission statement is a promise between a company, the legal department, and its lawyers to follow a core set of values. Even more than other departmental mission statements, legal department versions are enterprise-critical. Many, if not all, of the company’s hard choices will hit the legal department. As a result, a values-based approach within legal will inherently permeate throughout the rest of the enterprise.

In addition to its impact on the broader organization, the legal mission statement is becoming increasingly important to the lawyers who are part of the in-house team. Employees’ priorities and goals have evolved into something substantively different from their pre-pandemic aspirations. Like other workers, lawyers are rejecting workplaces, practices, and remuneration that don’t align with their personal goals. They’re also rejecting employers that don’t have a greater missional focus, or if they do, lack a fundamental adherence to it. Lawyers will no longer settle for soulless roles, and will no longer practice on behalf of soulless organizations.

As a result, our survey found that articulating and reaffirming a commitment to both departmental and organizational goals is increasingly imperative to legal team satisfaction, retention, and performance.  Despite the importance, however, a full 40% of GCs admit they lack formal legal department mission statements.

Put simply, that’s a mistake. Not only does our survey demonstrate that GCs with mission statements are better positioned to navigate volatility, it makes clear that these statements are a critical tools for retaining and nurturing the type of legal talent needed to effectively serve the organization.

The Bottom Line for GCs

Legal department mission statements are mission critical.

GCs that don’t have them must develop them. GCs that do, must consistently revisit them."

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."