The Alienated Librarian

(Hardback)

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The Alienated Llibrarian is a thoughtful, thorough analysis of the proletarianization of professional work throughout history. . . . What this book does is to present a penetrating investigation of the problem, draw thoughtful conclusions and suggest coping strategies. Collection Management This excellent book should attract a wide audience including professional librarians, library school faculty and students, library administrators,and the consulting community. It is highly recommended. Information Processing & Management [Nauratil's] analysis does help us gain an understanding of the issue, just as her concluding chapter on coping, and beyond, may help us address the issue when we are confronted with it. Wilson Library Bulletin Perhaps because of the popular stereotype of librarianship as a low-pressure, nonstressful profession, librarians have been largely overlooked in current research on occupational burnout. Yet, like other human service personnel who are in continual contact with the public, more and more librarians are experiencing burnout and consequent alienation in the workplace. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of the problem as it exists among today's librarians. Nauratil begins with an examination of the burnout phenomenon and the factors that contribute to stress and alienation in the human service professions. She discusses the additional pressures resulting from the dilemmas faced by libraries, including dwindling budgets, theft of library materials, understaffing, and the demand for broader or improved services. The costs associated with burnout--such as reduced productivity, rapid employee turnover, and deterioration of services--are also considered. The author asks whether alienation and burnout are the inevitable consequences of the librarian's job under contemporary conditions, and assesses the possible long-term effects of current developments both within library systems and in the communities and institutions they serve. Finally, she explores various strategies for coping with this type of occupational hazard and for strengthening the library system as a whole. This carefully researched and clearly written work will be a valuable resource for courses or research in librarianship, occupational sociology, personnel management, and related subjects.

Reviews

"The book is touted by the publisher as carefully researched and clearly written: I would agree. . . . The book has five short chapters: (1)"The Burnout Phenomenon," (2)"Work, Alienation, and the Human Service Professions," (3)"Librarianship: An Inevitable Case" (4)"Fuel for Burnout: Current Trends, and (5)"Coping and Beyond.." . . [T]he book is recommended for those who must deal with librarian burnout."-The Library Quarterly
. . . The case made is a convincing one and challenges the profession to address the problem realistically and make necessary changes. This book is recommended to all members of the librarian profession, in particular those with managerial responsibilities.-CLJ
The book is touted by the publisher as carefully researched and clearly written: I would agree. . . . The book has five short chapters: (1)"The Burnout Phenomenon," (2)"Work, Alienation, and the Human Service Professions," (3)"Librarianship: An Inevitable Case" (4)"Fuel for Burnout: Current Trends, and (5)"Coping and Beyond.." . . [T]he book is recommended for those who must deal with librarian burnout.-The Library Quarterly
This comprehensive treatment of the subject of burnout, one of few outside of the journal literature, is a useful addition to the literature science. Extremely well documented, it includes an eleven-page selected bibliography drawn from writings in librarianship, the human services professions, and beyond-Information Technology and Libraries
." . . The case made is a convincing one and challenges the profession to address the problem realistically and make necessary changes. This book is recommended to all members of the librarian profession, in particular those with managerial responsibilities."-CLJ
"This comprehensive treatment of the subject of burnout, one of few outside of the journal literature, is a useful addition to the literature science. Extremely well documented, it includes an eleven-page selected bibliography drawn from writings in librarianship, the human services professions, and beyond"-Information Technology and Libraries

Author Bio

MARCIA J. NAURATIL was a library consultant and taught courses in library and information science at the University of Toronto.