Welcome back to Author’s Corner! This series features excerpts or guest posts from authors of books about LIS careers.
In this installment, we hear from Spencer Acadia, the editor of a book on dysfunction in LIS. As you will see in reading, Spencer is committed to naming and documenting harmful patterns in LIS. This is a first step in changing our work for the better.
If you’re interested in reading beyond this post, the citation for the book is:
Acadia, S. (Ed.). (2023). Libraries as dysfunctional organizations and workplaces. Routledge.
Libraries and the LIS profession are dysfunctional. You might think a blog about hiring librarians wouldn’t need to discuss this issue because, after all, the concept of “vocational awe” says that librarianship is sacred and shouldn’t be criticized—including its hiring practices, right…? Wrong. Libraries and the LIS profession are not immune to problems, and we must be ready and willing to critique both the institutions themselves and their multitude of issues. Examining libraries through the lens of dysfunction reveals unsettling concerns and outcomes, including problematic aspects of hiring and the experiences of the once-excited new employee who soon discovers they’ve signed on to work in a dysfunctional library or archives.
Throughout my decade in academic libraries (2008–2018), I realized a troubling trend: libraries, especially in academia, are dysfunctional. This conclusion wasn’t formed only from my own disheartening experiences, however, as distressed colleagues, online discussions, mounting research, and critical publications all highlighted a profession in peril. In 2022, I put together a book on the topic to further ignite conversations about this emerging topic of LIS dysfunction.
Dysfunction in LIS seems to be especially prevalent in library workplaces. This dysfunction isn’t about the occasional bad day or the intermittent annoyances of work life. Rather, LIS workplace dysfunction can be thought of as patterns of harmful behaviors, conditions, and dynamics that create and maintain destructive work environments. Although much current discourse about this dysfunction pertains to the workplace, is not limited to the workplace. LIS dysfunction may also appear in LIS education and library schools, at LIS conferences, and throughout other aspects of the discipline and profession.
Dysfunction in LIS can be described in a three-pronged approach; that is, comprised of and evident in three distinct but overlapping parts: 1) individual (i.e., person-based); 2) organizational (i.e., institution-based); and 3) disciplinary (i.e., based in the profession itself). Examples include:
- Individual: Rude behavior, condescension, gossip, retaliation, aggression, bullying, and improper body language
- Organizational: Lack of time and resources for employees to complete work, pressure to “do more with less,” frequent restructuring, poor communication, excessive workload, lack of autonomy, unclear job roles and reward systems, internal cultural of competition, and insufficient onboarding and mentoring
- Disciplinary: Library schools’ failure to teach essential social skills, and professional associations’ inaction on diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, accessibility, ethics, and corruption; and an exploitative job market, including use of precarious labor
The above is not an exhaustive list by any means, but merely represents some of the various actions and conditions that make up dysfunction in LIS. As a result of this dysfunction, damaging outcomes are commonplace at the individual and organizational level.
- For librarians and archivists: Reduced happiness, job satisfaction, productivity, as well as increased absenteeism, negative mental and physical health issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, burnout, etc.)
- For LIS organizations: Disempowerment and alienation of workers, loss of talent and institutional knowledge, potential lawsuits, poor leadership, toxic work culture, and low morale
Again, these outcomes are not exhaustive; they only signify some of the many consequences of the runaway dysfunction currently afflicting LIS. Moreover, it is useful to think of the relationship between dysfunction and its outcomes as cyclical because the outcomes themselves cycle back into the dysfunction from which they arose in the first place. For example, if a workplace operates under a constant “do more with less” mantra, employees are likely to experience heightened stress, frustration, unhappiness, irritability, and so on. These undesired outcomes, in turn, sustain dysfunctional environments because of their adverse impacts on the individual and the individual’s interactions in the workplace. Indeed, this cycle of dysfunction is self-perpetuating, and a fundamental shift in the profession is needed if meaningful change and improvement is to happen.
So, what are the solutions to solve the ills of LIS dysfunction? Potential solutions, both theoretical and practical, can be found in the existing LIS literature, albeit most of these remain untested and evidence-based results are spotty at best. That said, exploring literature in other disciplines that cover workplace topics (e.g., psychology, sociology, business management and leadership, etc.) yields more robust evidence of and insights about dysfunction across many different types of workplaces.
Research on dysfunction in LIS specifically is burgeoning, meaning that it is not yet fully developed and is far from reaching maturity. What’s needed is more research on the forms of dysfunction occurring in LIS and the outcomes it produces at individual, organizational, and disciplinary levels with the explicit aim to:
- Identify, acknowledge, and expose widespread dysfunction
- Document its negative impacts on individuals, institutions, and the profession itself
Once this begins to occur at a larger scale only then can widespread solutions be realistically created and applied towards positively transforming library workplaces, schools, associations, conferences, and other LIS environments. Toward this end, a new long-term project is soon to be launched that will continue bringing much-needed attention to dysfunction in LIS.
Spencer Acadia holds a PhD in sociology, along with master’s degrees in both psychology and library science. Spencer currently works as an assistant professor at the library and information science (LIS) school at the University of Denver. Spencer teaches social science research methods in LIS contexts, global LIS research and practice, and library and collection management. Prior to becoming a professor, Spencer worked for 10 years as an academic librarian. One of Spencer’s primary research interests is dysfunction in LIS, and published the book Libraries as Dysfunctional Organizations and Workplaces in 2022. More about Spencer’s work is available at https://www.spenceracadia.com.
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