ACRL DVC Spring Conference, May 18, 2023
Charles Library at Temple University, 1900 N 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Wellness and Our Work
Wellness, including mental, physical, social, financial, environmental, and vocational, can be challenging to achieve. Ettarh’s (2018) description of vocational awe is a warning to the modern library worker not to conflate the importance of one’s profession and the joy of work with overall wellness and meaning in one’s life. Librarians often overstate the importance of their vocation, describing it as a calling “because the sacred duties of freedom, information, and service are so momentous.” Which leads us to ask – How does our work in libraries impact our wellness? How can we center wellness in our interactions with colleagues? Patrons? Local communities? How do library spaces contribute to wellness?
The keynote speakers for the 2023 Spring Program are James Templeton; Assistant Vice President and University Architect; Temple University, and John Cearley; Associate; The S/L/A/M Collaborative, who will discuss the WELL building certification process and the design of the Charles Library, and the reimagining of the former Paley Library.
Spring Event Registration
Please register for the 2023 ACRL DVC Spring Program at https://bit.ly/ACRL_DVC_Spring_Program_Reg_2023.
For this year’s Spring Program, DVC welcomes submissions on any area related to wellness, and encourages you to consider our 2022-2023 guiding questions:
- How do you find meaning in your role/work? How do you disengage in extraneous work that you don’t find meaningful?
- How do you feel about the idea of “quiet quitting?” Does periodic reassessment of how much time that you devote to work versus other important factors in your life (e.g. family, health, etc.) automatically constitute abdicating your job responsibilities?
Reflect on the ways that your work intersects with your well-being (or doesn’t). We welcome public reflection in the form of stories, presentations, panel discussions, lightning rounds, prompts for play and inspiration, or facilitated community conversations.
Ideas for potential topics:
- Assessment for growth vs assessment to prove value – what drives assessment?
- Work-life balance in librarianship, setting boundaries at work
- Supporting student or community wellness, mental health initiatives
- Affective/emotional labor in librarianship
- Labor organizing in libraries
- Rethinking or rejecting the one-shot instruction session
- Trauma-informed instruction, critical pedagogical practices
- Job scope creep
Instructions for Proposal Submissions
Proposals can be submitted here and should include the following information:
- Proposal title
- Names, affiliations, positions, and email addresses of the presenters
- Preferred presentation format
- Option A – 30-45 minute presentations
- Option B – 10-minute lightning round presentations
- A 250-word summary of the topic you wish to present including the points you intend to make and the way(s) you intend to engage the audience, if applicable.
Please submit your proposal by Monday, April 17, 2023. Accepted presenters will be able to attend the program at no cost. Any questions about the process can be emailed to vicepresident@acrldvc.org. We look forward to hearing from you!