The Modern Day Sisyphus: #libtech Burnout and You
Selected bibliography for talk You feel like Sisyphus - no matter what you do today, the boulder rolls down the hill the next day. You're tired all the time. Rest becomes a thing you faintly remember while you continue to push the boulder up the hill. Soon enough, the boulder runs over you. You reached the point that many have reached before - burnout. The technology field is rife with burnout stories and #libtech is no different. Burnout in #libtech, however, is compounded by the integration of key cultural aspects and expectations of the wider technology community and the wider library field. Meritocracies, community values and expectations, invisible labor, and "doing more with less" are only a few cultural aspects that play into #libtech burnout. While #libtech folks are publicly talking about burnout, how can we turn talk into action in our workplaces and community? This talk will address burnout in the #libtech community: what it is, the causes, and what can be done to help others recover from and prevent burnout in our community. Coworkers, management, and #libtech community members all have actions they can take to address #libtech burnout. The sooner we can get our #libtech colleagues, and ourselves, out of the path of the boulder, the better for us all.
