Is the Newark community being informed of infections among Newark PL staff members? What guidance & accommodations are @NewarkLibrary providing staff when a coworker tests positive? What’s the rationale for expanding public services under these circumstances? https://twitter.com/filenpl/status/1357859248185704451

Any public worker will tell you this is one of our nightmares. None of us wants to be responsible for a patron falling ill (or worse) due to an infection they caught *at the library*, especially when we know we can offer most services safely with minimal F2F contact https://twitter.com/filenpl/status/1357854722061963265

When the library is open at a time of crisis — during a severe weather event, say, or during a still-uncontrolled pandemic — we are saying “it’s fine! Come on down!” We are throwing away our reputations as trustworthy institutions and increasing risk for everyone when we do so

I know very well that those in decision-making roles face pressure to expand F2F services & worry about budget cuts. It can be hard, lonely, & thankless. It’s also part & parcel of leadership & there’s no justification for deciding to put your staff & community at increased risk

Do you want your staff to trust you? Especially in hard times? Remember that you work for them, too. Be maximally transparent, especially when it’s uncomfortable to do so. Commit to doing the frontline work that puts them at risk, & then DO IT. Solicit their unvarnished opinions.

One thing that this nearly year-long crisis has taught me is that no one is special. You’re a director or manager? Cool! Your main job is protecting those of us with less-fancy titles & lower wages, not sacrificing us in a pointless attempt at pleasing the powers that be

As someone who lost her job due to budget cuts despite being an excellent, dedicated, productive employee & colleague, I can tell you right now, your work ethic and accomplishments will not save any of us. Focus on protecting your staff & community. Be an asshole about it.

Everyone is going to find fault with some of the decisions that you make. If you’re lucky (if we trust you) we’ll invest our time & energy in telling you what you’ve messed up & offer suggestions for how to fix it. If nobody says peep, you’ll know you’re in really deep shit

Deciding to close, investing more resources in remote & low-contact services, leaning further in to developing a robust work from home culture — all of those *decisions* are easy. Execution is complex work, but it’s a team effort & people will pitch in, if you’re trustworthy

This is more work for you than simply informing your staff “here’s the plan, go do it.” It’s time consuming, it’s exhausting, it’s complex, it’s choosing to sit with & work through conflict & discomfort, it’s an investment that might not pay off. Do it anyway, or step aside

One of the great things about nobody being special is that it also means everyone has something to contribute. When you provide everyone with the opportunity to contribute, most of us will. More ideas = more complexity = more solutions = deeper investment in seeing them through

All of what I’m urging here requires digging deep & allowing yourself to be vulnerable, another thing we are lied to about on a regular basis. Vulnerability isn’t unprofessional. It isn’t weakness, it’s an exercise in what? Yes, it’s our old pal trust!

Nearly everyone in decision-making roles falls into the authority trap. Often more than once! Nothing is more corrosive to trust & respect. If your experiences are reflected here, you’re going to have to acknowledge the problems, out loud, & have a plan to start fixing them

Will all of this work perfectly? Nope! Will it work at all? That depends on you, your team, & a bunch of factors that are out of your control. Based on my experience & observations over 25+ years in a variety of workplaces, you’ll be way better off if you invest in this approach

A crisis is a great time to undertake a values inventory & make sure all of *your* decisions flow from them. You can’t control what the city or county decides to do & imposes on you. You *can* control how you implement those decisions & you *must* be transparent about it all

I’m going to stop here for the moment, but before I do, I want to be really clear that there’s no good analysis or guidance on this issue that doesn’t incorporate race, class & gender. My understanding of these factors underlies all of the above but likely not enough!

I’m always working on improving my working knowledge in these areas, so if there are resources that have helped/challenged/enhanced your understanding, please do share them. And thank you for reading this novella, in whole or in part

Some of the work that has shaped my thinking:
Kaetrena Davis Kendrick on #lowmorale: https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/5932
Fobazi Ettarh on #vocationalawe: http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/ (longform) https://fobaziettarh.com/2017/05/30/vocational-awe/ (shorter form)
Bryce Kozla on being trauma-informed: https://video.emporia.edu/media/Being+Trauma-Informed+During+a+PandemicA+An+Introduction+for+Library+Staff/0_0q6izo9v/137509381