Social Life of Libraries

www.stevehargadon.com/2026/05/s…

“Between February and May 2026, 1,521 library workers completed an anonymous survey about what working in a library is actually like at this moment. They left 1,754 free-text comments alongside their answers. Respondents were from the Library 2.0 email list and were predominantly from public libraries; the majority were in frontline public service roles, and roughly 7 in 10 had more than a decade of library experience.

The headline finding is that stretched institutions are held together by people. The single most-agreed-with statement in the entire survey (chosen by 69% of respondents) is that libraries are expected to provide services that go well beyond their actual resources and staffing. More than half (55%) say they are often emotionally drained by the end of the workday. Nearly half (48%) say their library is not adequately staffed. Just over four in ten (44%) say they have personally experienced verbal, sexual, racial, or other harassment from patrons. More than a third (36%) say they regularly handle patron mental-health crises, substance-use situations, or homelessness.”

www.slaw.ca/2026/03/1…

“Content licences also reduce the ability of libraries to fulfil their traditional roles and responsibilities as stewards and providers of information (see Figure 1). Libraries, along with museums and archives, preserve cultural materials and, more importantly, democratize access by allowing all members of society to “educate themselves and participate in public life.”

On April 20, 2020 I returned to my Children’s Librarian roots with my first Stay At Home Storytimes. Along with three other librarians, we created storytime magic from our living rooms, kitchen tables and homes to share with families in our communities, other cities, and surprisingly, other countries. It was fun! Exciting! But we were all glad when families could rejoin us in person.