Responding to and reimagining resilience in academic libraries

Abstract

This article briefly introduces library staff to the concept of resilience, beginning with its origins and how it came to academic libraries. The authors posit that the resilience narrative obscures structural issues, particularly those relating to socioeconomic status, and shifts responsibility to library workers who must then overcome barriers to success. The authors challenge the concept of resilience as used in library workplaces, offer potential responses to it from library workers and supervisors, and conclude that applying resilience in and to libraries causes more harm than good.

Keywords

• resilience
• library workers
• change management