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Battling Burnout Through Lifelong Learning
by Catherine Ritchie
In early 1998, I faced imminent job burnout, with no obvious remedy in sight.
I had been an adult/YA public librarian in central Illinois for nearly twelve years. My job responsibilities, though still satisfying, were no longer expanding. Due to recent personnel changes, my department was poorly run, and staff morale nonexistent. In short, I felt trapped and intellectually stifled.
While halfheartedly looking for other positions, I soon realized that a simple change of venue wouldn't cure my inertia. A total career revamping was likely my only recourse, but how? While on the reference desk one fateful evening, I remembered an acronym...
In the 1980s, my now-defunct library school had offered experienced librarians a further educational option: a "certificate of advanced studies" (CAS). These students could pursue coursework focused on particular areas of librarianship, and thus become unofficial specialists. At the time, I had filed this idea away for future reference -- but for this twelve-year front desk veteran, that future was NOW.
To my relief, the CAS program was alive and well at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, long regarded as the best library school in the nation, and located about 50 miles from my home. With application deadline looming, I swiftly wrote my mini-essays, begged kind colleagues for letters of recommendation, and assembled my transcript ducks in a row.
Six weeks of waiting ensued -- although friends assured me that I was the ideal CAS candidate, i.e., an "in the trenches" librarian wanting to touch base once again with a little theory to go along with everyday practice.
Although GSLIS's CAS program is designed to be pursued part-time, if accepted, I planned to resign my current position, move to Urbana-Champaign, and study full-time. Such a massive change of venue and lifestyle was fortunately made feasible by my instinctive frugality and a financial legacy from my late parents. I knew I would be sacrificing much by pulling up stakes, but desperation ruled.
I finally received my acceptance letter, and chose collection development as my CAS "focus." Before classes began, I became a graduate assistant to the head of collection management for the entire University library system. Over the next year, I would learn about the non-glamorous aspects of maintaining all those mysterious stacks -- an invaluable education in its own right.
Two courses in collection development were offered during my first few GSLIS semesters. I was fortunate to have my specialty close at hand so early on. Needless to say, at age 45-plus, I was almost always the oldest student in my classes, which often made interaction a challenge.
What I found most surprising along the way was a glaringly perceptible bias on the part of my classmates against public library work, as most of these young(er) folks instead sought ultimate fame and (minor) fortune in the wilds of academia. Thus, when public library-related topics surfaced in class discussions, I felt compelled to bring my "real world" perspective to the table, as a lone elder wolf in the library wilderness. Thankfully, this occurred with my professors' blessings.
GSLIS's CAS program culminates in a final project requiring original research on a "problem" related to the student's focus area. I chose to survey mid-sized Illinois public libraries regarding their collection development practices regarding gay/lesbian/bisexual- related non-fiction. This would become the most rigorous intellectual undertaking of my middle-aged life thus far, but without a doubt the most satisfying. My paper was eventually published in Illinois Libraries -- a wonderful capstone to an inspirational academic experience.
The need to find a permanent job loomed large during that last year of study, but one of my e-mail discussion lists alerted me to a "theatre librarian" vacancy at the Dallas Public Library. Although my dislike of hot weather was legendary, my abhorrence of winter weather had grown even larger. So, I applied, my lack of a theatre degree notwithstanding. I got the job, and donned my graduation gown surrounded by packing boxes!
While I don't apply theoretical knowledge to my materials selection work on a daily basis here in Texas, I am enriched nevertheless by the self-confidence I gained via my detour back into the classroom. And thanks to the writing skills I honed in doing my final project, I am pursuing an avocational side career in library publishing.
Enrolling in a certificate of advanced studies program may not be feasible for every librarian mired in job dissatisfaction, but I highly recommend it as an option worth investigating. The chance to be part of an intellectual community, even if only for one afternoon or evening a week, can make an enormous impact on one's worldview. We all deserve a mental break from malfunctioning photocopiers and uncontrollable children now and then.
While I still on occasion tire of the public library grind, my CAS "time out" was the shot of adrenaline I sorely needed. It helped me find my way back to the profession I love, and to which I truly belong.
Catherine Ritchie is the Theatre Librarian in the Fine Arts Division of the Dallas (TX) Public Library. She has a Masters degree in English, and has published in Library Journal and Broadside, the Theatre Library Association newsletter.