Our July meetup had a small but dedicated group joining us to discuss how summer
programming is progressing for everyone and what we might be looking forward to in the next season.
The first question posed to the group, and one that had the greatest dialogue, was how to decompress when summer gets too hectic. When the heat rises and patrons begin streaming into your library, what options do librarians have at their disposal to take a break and come back refreshed? The responses were many and varied from silly to serious:
● Have something special at your desk, such as a fun drink or special snack
● Take a walk to get away from the crowd
● Talk with co-workers
● Brag about the highlights of your department
● Work on crafts
● Take a walk through the stacks and act like a patron, look for a book for yourself
● Play silly songs from the preschool story time set list
● Work on plans for next week’s programs
● Spend time with pets
The suggestions were great and will be helpful as we move into the final weeks of summer, but what do you do if those ideas are not working? Does your organization provide a support system to vent frustrations and concerns? The answer was yes, no, and maybe.
While most did not have a dedicated human resources department, they did have colleagues they could lean on as well as mentors and advisors to call upon, such as Kate Brunner and Kate Compton with the Colorado State Library. Another tip was just to create distance from work— getting away from your place of employment can help immensely with your frame of mind and ability to relax.
Then it was time to get retrospective and attendees were asked if you could go back in time and talk to yourself six months ago what advice would you give regarding summer plans? As hindsight always provides a clearer picture, the resounding answer was ‘PLAN LESS’! It seems we all have the same ambitious goals each year, which is to provide the ultimate summer experience for our patrons; however, this can lead to an overwhelming schedule and burnout before the summer is over.
As you begin working on programs for 2026, be sure to have plenty of support whether that is via co-workers or volunteers as well as using presenters to help host a program to take some of the burden off your shoulders. Having a framework and set of resources compiled that you or others can lean into was a fantastic recommendation too. In addition, if you are constantly on the go, maybe schedule in some downtime—actually add it to your calendar as a reminder to take care of yourself.
The final few minutes of the meetup centered on discussions regarding fall fun (what are you looking forward to in the next season) and your pie-in-the-sky program (if you had all the money, time, space, and staff). Here is the list of those ideas–maybe something might provide a spark for you:
Working with a non-profit to develop early literacy kits
Bike and book rodeo
Story times every weekend
Outdoor story times at all branches in the district
Food cart/kitchen programs
Cooler temperatures
And a quiet fall season
Thank you to everyone that joined us this month for our July meetup. Our next meetup will be on September 9 at 1:00 p.m. (MST) with a conversation on inclusive library spaces. We would also like to invite everyone to the annual conference held virtually on October 16 and 17.
Additional Resources for you:
CSLP Newsletter: https://us13.campaign-
archive.com/?u=043a7515ceb3ad45bdd2dd405&id=7e93e10320
CSL podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2388732/episodes
