Effective Library Leadership Strategies for Reducing Staff Stress and Trauma

This interactive workshop is designed for library supervisors and managers who strive to foster a supportive, resilient workplace. Participants will explore leadership approaches for reducing avoidable staff stress and trauma, such as building a “culture of care,” creating effective behavioural response guides that reinforce policy, and empowering staff to set boundaries with confidence. The session will also cover strategies for addressing unavoidable stress, including implementing reflective practice, crisis response planning, and post-crisis support. Through discussion and small-group activities, attendees will examine key techniques and leave with a preliminary action plan for strengthening staff well-being, job satisfaction, and retention in their own libraries.

Author Bio

Beth Wahler, PhD, MSW is founder and principal consultant at Beth Wahler Consulting, LLC. She is an internationally-recognized consultant, trainer, and researcher whose primary focus is trauma-informed librarianship, library strategies for addressing visitors’ social service-related needs, supporting library staff with serving high-needs visitors and reducing work-related stress/trauma, and various kinds of collaborations, services, and programs to meet visitor, staff, or community needs. She has worked with a wide variety of libraries internationally- urban, suburban, and rural- as well as large library systems and state library associations to provide personalised training opportunities, conduct needs assessments, evaluate library programs/services, and/or develop individualised plans to help meet the needs of their visitor populations and staff. She has also published and presented internationally on library visitor and staff needs, trauma-informed librarianship, and library/social work collaborations. Her book, “Creating a Person-Centered Library: Best Practices for Supporting High-Needs Patrons,” focuses on strategies for supporting visitors with complex needs while simultaneously supporting library staff. She also co-hosts the podcast, Surviving the Stacks, aimed at providing support to library staff across the globe.