All the feels: Exploring the human dimensions of restructuring in libraries

Patti Ryan

York University Libraries

CAPAL 2026

\\

Acknowledgements

Rationale for Restructuring

​

Rationale for moving from subject liaison to functional models:�

• More responsive to the research life cycle
• Reflect changing practices of scholars
• Leverage the expertise and visibility of librarians��

Jaguszewski, J. M. & Williams, K. (2013). New roles for new times: Transforming liaison roles in research libraries. Association of Research Libraries. http://www.arl.org/component/content/article/6/2893

​

Key research questions

1. How does the transition from a subject librarian to a functional role impact job satisfaction and engagement?�
2. How does restructuring impact the emotional well-being of library workers?

Theoretical framework

Reflexive Scholarship

• Understands knowledge as situated and shaped by the processes and practices of knowledge production, including the researcher
• Exploring the psycho-spiritual struggles of library workers, including myself�

Hermeunetical phenomenology (HP)

• Seeks to understand the essence of the experience of an event, process or state of being
• Concerned with meaning-making (Descartes)

Methods

• Participant recruitment:
• CAUT list and snowball technique
• 13 semi structured interviews via Zoom
• 9 in Canada and 4 in US
• Mix of subject areas, functional roles and career stages
• Analysis
• Six stage process outlined by Braun and Clarke (2022)
• Semantic and latent code labels to capture explicit and implicit meanings

​

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE.

Results: thematic clusters

Readiness for change (High) 1/2

• Initial support for reorganization
• Frustrations with subject liaison role: boredom, isolation, duplication of effort, getting buy in

​

“Year after year I was starting to get a little more bored and finding consultations to be under-stimulating. I was teaching the same workshops every year to the same type of students, and I just didn’t see a lot of opportunities for creativity or innovation.”�

“Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I was so relieved by the idea of not having to work at the reference desk anymore. I guess I was just tired of liaison work and felt like I had reached a limit.”

​

Readiness for Change (High) 2/2

“I couldn't have been happier to be moving away from liaison work.”�

“Honestly, if I never did another information literacy class again it would be too soon.”�

“For me what was lacking in the liaison role was a sense of comradery. I did everything for those departments all by myself.”�

“Most of my time was spent trying to get buy-in from faculty members and convincing them that I could help their students beyond a ten-minute introduction. Maybe others were fine with that, but not me. And I felt like that dynamic of pushing for buy-in governed much of my workload. I don’t miss that part.”

​

Initial strengthened engagement (Medium)

• Autonomy in scheduling and priority setting
• New campus-wide gaze, increased visibility
• Role in policy development

�“It’s not less work and I’m still exhausted at the end of the day, but as a liaison my time was mainly on someone else’s schedule, which was so much harder.”�

“I am now able to connect dots and am brought into new conversations on campus.”�

“This role opened doors in ways I could not have imagined as a liaison librarian...I have a peer relationship with faculty rather than just providing support to them.”�

“I really love project work, and the freedom to focus has been a game changer.“

Transition Pains (High) 1/2

• Lack of vision from library administrators
• Integrating subject and functional expertise
• Loss of relationships: colleagues, faculty members

​

“We were rudderless for the first few years and didn’t really have a clear vision about where the admin wanted us to go…it was just a few of us figuring it out and rounding up all this orphaned infrastructure and services with no real oversight.” �

“Our AUL just kept saying they wanted us to create the vision ourselves. Okay, yes, that’s good, but why create the unit if you didn’t have a vision for it? I would ask this frequently but never got any response…eventually we gave up and built it ourselves.”�

“I had no idea what our admin expected from our new team or me personally.”

​

Transition pains (High) 2/2

• Lack of vision from library administrators
• Integrating subject and functional expertise
• Loss of relationships: colleagues, faculty members

​

“The past few years have been fraught with a lot of talk of how the work should be handled and who is responsible for what. We still spend a lot of time arguing about how people should get in touch with us.”

“There are still major tensions about which side is getting more support and work to do in understanding how we play together well in this new sandbox.”

“I think the belief that faculty were going to be hung out to dry was more about losing a connection, because most librarians really valued this connection as part of their working lives.”

​

Culture and process (Very High) 1/2

• No opportunity for meaningful input
• Design team working in isolation
• Lack of empathy and compassion�

“It was the senior leadership team that basically decided everything. They came up with how it was going to work and then said this is what is happening.”�

“The administrative team worked in seclusion and came up with a reorganization plan...there was no consultation, and it was delivered to us by decree...like the Ten Commandments being delivered to Moses.” �

“...it just seemed that admin had certain ideas in mind and there was really no discussing it."

​

Culture and process (Very High) 2/2

�

“I don’t think it could have been done any worse, quite honestly...the UL was not around most of the time and didn’t want to meet with us or get involved in emotional turbulence... there was so little compassion.”

​

“I felt disrespected, overlooked and ignored.”

​

“There was just this reluctance by senior management to be compassionate. My advice to senior admin is to pull out all the stops because these processes are so hard. And if they cannot muster this level of compassion, find champions who are empathetic and won’t demonize people who are just having a hard time..this is about people’s identities. And they are often having a much harder time than you think.“

​

Discussion

• Prioritize process not outcome
• Empathy and compassion vs. skills training
• Relationship management
• Myth of personal resilience�

“Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to real fears and feelings or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior” (Brown, 2018 p. 62).�

Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: brave work, tough conversations, whole hearts. Random House.

​

​

​

Thank you!

​

​

Patti Ryan

pryan@yorku.ca