I have always been fascinated by the idea of reflection. I am amazed when water, which is often turbulent, becomes mirror still and reflects the landscape that surrounds it with a mirror image upside down reflection. In the next hour or the next day, the water is no longer still, and the reflection is gone – the reflective moment is gone.
Reflection takes on a different tone in the Mirror of Erised in Harry Potter. The Mirror of Erised reflects back, not what is in front of it but rather the deepest, desperate desires of the person looking in the mirror. It reflects our internal hopes and dreams. Dumbledore noted that “‘Men have wasted away before it, not knowing if what they have seen is real, or even possible.’" It is a potentially dangerous reflection.
Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors provides another idea of reflection. The Hall was built to not only reflect natural light but to enable the see and be seen needs of the king and the court. Its 578 mirrors reflected every glance, nod, and bow, and of course every faux pas.
Of course, reflection has another important meaning, namely “to think deeply or carefully about.” This type of reflection is often seen in academia, or in religious or spiritual practice.
The importance of and interest in reflective library practice grows out of the increasing busyness of life and work, and the increasing stress levels found in the library workplace. The idea of reflective practice has its roots in the works of John Dewey and was further developed by David Schon in The Reflective Practioner in the early 1980s.
Tell a member of the general public that you are a librarian, and you often get a response similar to “it must be great to read books all day.” While librarians do like to read, there seldom is the free time to sit and leisurely read a classic, something from the NY Times bestseller list, or even one of the many professional library journals. As most libraries are understaffed, and the areas of responsibility are large, the idea of free time is, for most, just a myth.
We like to think that libraries are great places to work with low-stress levels and always harmonious relationships. While overall, I do think libraries can be good workplaces, many librarians and staff feel overwhelmed at times at the workload, the increasing level of responsibilities, and the constant need to retool for the newest technology. Staffing levels in most academic libraries have decreased over the past 25 years, and especially after the financial crisis of 2008-2009. As staffing levels decreased, remaining staff were required to pick up additional responsibilities, usually without additional compensation. This difficult staffing situation is further exacerbated by libraries willingness to take on new technologies, new services, and new initiatives without giving up anything they are currently doing.
One of the many responsibilities of library deans is to support the librarians and staff in their libraries. This involves supporting their professional development, the work they do, the work environment, and them as persons.
As we think about reflective library practice, I believe there is value in including all four types of reflection described above. Mirror reflection stands things on its head; providing a new perspective. Often when we pause to reflect, especially when it comes to a stressful situation, we fall into the Mirror of Erised – we see what we want/need; not necessarily what is actually there. However, surfacing those needs/desires is important, even if they cannot be sustained. The Hall of Mirrors model reflects everything; showing things from multiple perspectives. Reflecting as thinking deeply and carefully provides an opportunity to take multiple modes of reflection and parse out meaning and possibilities for the future.
As we think about ourselves, our professional identities, and our work, it is important to develop some reflective practices. I believe that there are six things that the Dean should model and encourage.
Take a break: We tend to work until we drop; ignoring the natural rhythms of our bodies and our mind’s ability to sustain attention. Every 90 minutes or so it is important to take a break and change what you’re doing. Stand, stretch, take a 5-minute walk, or sit quietly. These all break the cycle and renew our abilities.
Pause and reflect: Encourage staff to take time to pause and reflect on their work. Ask why about any and all aspects of the work. There are often ways to improve how we work if we can pause long enough to think of new ways of working.
Retreat: Use retreats as a means to get staff together to do planning. This can be an effective strategy because of a change of venue and a concentrated time. Don’t program the entire retreat. Retreats will be most effective if they provide some down time and time for reflection.
Mindfulness: Develop a practice of mindfulness: a type of meditation that makes you aware of thoughts, feelings, and environment in a gentle nurturing way. Mindfulness improves focus and creativity and reduces stress.
Listen: Part of reflective practice is to listen; both to your inner voice as well as to others. Follow the advice of Polonius in Hamlet ‘Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice." Encourage staff to develop listening skills as you develop your own.
Develop resiliency: Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from tragedy, trauma, threats, as well as personal and workplace stress. Building resiliency comes from developing self-care, not seeing yourself as a victim, and concentrating on your goals, and choosing your response to negative people or events. To build resilience there needs to be a strong level of self-awareness and self-reflection.
Creating a reflective library culture will only come with the support of the Dean. Encourage a variety of types of reflection. Modeling self-reflective practices will encourage adoption by others.
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