Finding a Better Balance: Personal and Institutional Solutions to the Contemporary Work/Life Crisis in Libraries, Archives, and Museums

This session features four speakers on the topic of establishing family-friendly policies in libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs). Despite having a high percentage of female professionals, LAM workplaces have been slow to embrace flexible work schedules and policies that accommodate working parents. While this may be attributable to the place-based nature and service environment of library work, it reflects the larger crisis in the US workplace wherein full-time, linear career trajectories are a frequent mismatch for the non-nuclear, single-parent, and dual-earner households. The speakers, including librarians and work/life policy leaders from outside LAM professions, contextualize this work-life crisis and discuss topics like flexible work schedules, parental leave, infant-friendly work environments, and other factors that would create more inclusive work environments for employees at cultural and educational institutions. The session will also chart the current state of work/life policy in the United States and Canada and introduce practical strategies for employees and supervisors to advocate for more family-friendly work policies. Discussions will consider structural solutions within the workplace that re-align institutional policy and culture with the needs of the contemporary LAM worker. This session is organized by the Art Librarian Parents and Caregivers SIG. Speakers include Kathleen Christensen, Rachael Ellison, Amy Furness, and Carla Moquin. This recording is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Related Event: ARLISNA 2018 New York City Conference