This practical guide, written from different perspectives and applying to all library types, explains how to create healthy library workplaces.While library work is often imbued with a strong sense of...

YouTube video by NLISN

By Mikayla Redden (Follow us on LinkedIn) Imagine you’re jumping up and down on a giant trampoline enclosed in a safety net. You feel an intense, childlike joy. Then someone dumps a bucket of …

ALT: a man says that is so cool in the dark

Join NLISN and Priscilla Carmini in navigating challenging workplace environments as an academic librarian

Please complete this form if you would like to speak at the NLISN in person event on Mon 6th October 2025 on the topic of Adjustments in the Workplace for neurodivergent library and information staff....

This presentation explores neurodiversity-affirming practices for library workers and patrons. It begins by defining key terminology, and provides statistics and research justification such as the high rate of co-occurring mental health issues among autistic individuals. The presentation then delves into the history and recent use of neurodiversity-affirming principles, focusing on autistic self-advocate Sonny Jane Wise's 11 core principles. These principles are categorized into internal, external, and structural phases, and practical applications within library settings are discussed. The presentation encourages attendees to consider how these principles can positively impact library experiences and address potential challenges.

Over the last 20 or so months, I’ve seen an uptick in conversations regarding mental health in academia. Current and former Hackers have written some excellent posts about navigating mental health …

While the American academic library field works hard to include all patrons and materials that represent less dominant populations, it should be more mindful of inclusivity in its own workforce. Particularly, the field does nothing to explicitly recruit or retain LGBTQ-identified librarians. The author proposes practical remedies to these problems that directly respond to workplace studies on interpersonal difficulties LGBTQ-identified librarians and others have cited as barriers to happiness in the workplace, and argues toward more inclusive LIS education and financial support. Most importantly, the author hopes to convince others to abandon the tired rhetoric that positions the library field’s “feminization” as a misunderstanding and damaging consequence to be combated, and instead replace it with feminist conversations about the gendered aspects of the field.

Radical Cataloging Essays at the Front Edited by K.R. Roberto 978-0-7864-3543-2 978-1-4766-0512-8

Alt: a man in a suit and tie is high fives the passenger of a stationary car