The ability to "bounce back" from crises, often known as resilience, is increasingly considered an essential skill in many different fields. A well-attended program at the ACRL 2017 Conference challenged academic librarians to think critically about how the term is used to shift responsibility for success and survival to individuals, while silencing conversations about structural inequalities. For some, this sparked overdue conversations and provided an opportunity to talk about something they had long understood. For others, it introduced a new way of understanding the term and how workplace resilience can have negative effects. For many, this led to another question: if asking employees to "be resilient" isn't enough, what can we do instead — as individuals or as organizations — to create caring and healthy workplaces in our libraries?
In this program, panelists will share stories describing how they have dealt with major change and challenges, and discuss how each of us can take steps to shape responsive and caring organizations.
