Purpose & Goals

As the university-mandated COVID-19 protocols (Spring 2023) were being retired, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Library conducted its biannual survey to assess the impact of the library on its students. Students revealed through the survey that they were frustrated with library hours, services, and the enforcement of health safety. Administration began look at what could be done to improve student impressions of the library, but the student survey only tells their side of the story. Assessment methods were used to encourage the sharing of frontline library workers' voices in focus group sessions. The sessions were designed as a safe space to communicate with leadership about working conditions throughout COVID-19, and the importance of supporting patron-facing staff. In this poster presentation, the results of facilitated discussions with frontline staff (often people of underrepresented groups) speak to the challenges of patron-facing work during times of unprecedented stress, and the value of having their voices heard.

Design & Methodology

Three 90-minute focus groups sessions were conducted with a guided protocol in Fall 2023, covering frontline experiences and perceptions of support. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UIC has granted approval for this research study (Research protocol #2023-1173). Using content analysis to identify patterns and themes to address research questions about coping strategies, support, and leadership, this method involved identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within a dataset. Recorded audio was used for summarizing focus group discussions and taking verbatim notes for the data report. This procedure was implemented to ensure data protection.

Findings

Participating frontline staff members shared many experiential commonalities surrounding their feelings about working with the public in the library setting before, during, and after the pandemic period. They reflected on how they coped with added stress and their perceptions of colleagues and leadership. Staff members reported implementing a variety of creative strategies to mitigate the stress produced by the work environment. They also expressed what they felt would contribute to an improved workplace going forward from this experience. Facilitating focus groups as listening sessions provided frontline employees an opportunity to reflect on and process their experience with their colleagues. These meetings formalized a conversation around the library's service mission, well-being, collegiality, and responsive management, providing a measure of closure for affected staff.

Action & Impact

Leadership has a responsibility to listen carefully, sincerely seek to understand, and at the very least acknowledge and appreciate the work of frontline employee’s. This assessment has collected the evidence of employee stories to help to balance the narrative around the impact of COVID-19 on the library. It has set a precedent at UIC for information gathering for any post-traumatic experience to help leadership better understand the specific challenges library employees face.

Practical Implications & Value

This research contributes to current conversations around trauma-informed leadership, particularly with regards to the impact of working conditions on patron-facing library staff. Frontline workers, by sharing their voices have also expressed hope that others might benefit from doing the same.