When Overwork Isn’t About Time: The Power Dynamics Driving Stress in Academic Libraries

In academic libraries, overwork is often described in terms of hours logged, tasks juggled, or meetings survived. But these symptoms distract from the deeper cause: power inequities and systemic unfairness. As Brigid Schulte argues in Overwhelmed, work stress flourishes in cultures that mistake busyness for worth and devalue care, rest, and equity.

And as Ruha Benjamin urges in Viral Justice, we must “reimagine the world by reimagining the smallest units of injustice”—including the labor structures, hierarchies, and unspoken rules within our library systems.

For academic librarians, especially those at small or under-resourced institutions, overwork is not simply a matter of too much to do. It’s about too little power, too few supports, and not enough fairness.

It’s Not Just About Working Too Much

Workplace stress doesn’t begin and end with long hours. It’s triggered when the expectations placed on workers surpass their capacity to meet them—especially when there is inadequate support, recognition, or control over how that work gets done. For academic librarians, this imbalance is now institutionalized.

The academic library landscape has experienced a significant shift in recent years, resulting in many institutions adopting new working methods and operating with reduced staffing levels. According to now-retired ACRL Associate Director Mary Jane Petrowski, total full-time equivalent academic library staffing decreased by nearly 20% from 2012 to 2021. During this same period, the responsibilities of librarians expanded to include everything from digital learning and open access advocacy to AI integration and DEIA programming.

In other words, we are expected to do more with less—and often, without the decision-making power to shape how the work is done. Librarians are asked to serve on the frontlines of student success, information equity, and technology innovation while operating in conditions that foster burnout and invisibility.

This mismatch is amplified by what Ruha Benjamin calls "stratified care"—the notion that some kinds of work (often feminized, racialized, or service-labeled) are expected but undervalued. In academic librarianship, emotional labor, tech integration, and student engagement fall squarely into this trap.

The CALM framework offers a path through this stress. The first step, Communication, means naming these inequities out loud. It means shifting conversations from “how to manage time” to “how to manage systems that exploit.”

Power, Fairness, and the Invisible Cost of Doing It All

Stress becomes entrenched when workers lack the power to change their conditions. Librarians are often accountable for outcomes—like student learning, digital access, or inclusive programming—without the decision-making authority, compensation, or recognition tied to those outcomes.

Viral Justice reminds us that fairness is not about charity; it’s about structural repair. It’s about transforming the root causes of harm, even (and especially) in mundane places like committee structures, performance evaluations, and budgeting processes.

Adaptability, the second CALM principle, calls us to not only adapt personally, but to adapt our institutions. Libraries must evolve from being reactive to proactive—especially in how they support staff.

Five Solutions Rooted in Equity and Organizational Change

To reduce overwork and address systemic stress, we must commit to justice at both the micro and macro level. The following strategies reflect principles from Viral Justice and the CALM framework:

1. Rebalance Power Through Shared Governance

Academic librarians must participate meaningfully in shared governance. This means not just attending meetings but being heard, trusted, and empowered to shape decisions.

CALM Insight – Management: Institutional management must distribute authority. Librarians should have voting rights on curriculum committees, digital strategy teams, and diversity councils.

Viral Justice Lens: Structural participation is how we undo invisible inequities. True governance means listening to those closest to the problem.

2. Recalibrate Recognition and Reward Systems

Much of librarians’ work is collaborative, behind-the-scenes, or categorized as "support." These labels strip the work of academic legitimacy.

CALM Insight – Learning: Institutions must learn to value new forms of scholarship—like instructional design, AI tool integration, and student mentorship.

Viral Justice Lens: Honor labor that resists extractive models. Recognition is a radical act when it affirms dignity, not just productivity.

3. Create Structures for Saying No Without Repercussions

Librarians must be able to say no—to unrealistic workloads, last-minute asks, or roles beyond their scope—without fear of professional harm.

CALM Insight – Communication: Leaders must establish norms that protect time and boundaries. Saying no is a sign of clarity, not disengagement.

Viral Justice Lens: Refusing burnout culture is a form of resistance. Justice includes the right to rest, recalibrate, and be whole.

4. Invest in Tools and Staff, Not Just Expectations

You can’t innovate your way out of a staffing shortage. Every new project—whether AI adoption, DEIA expansion, or digital scholarship—must be matched with resources.

CALM Insight – Management: Avoid top-down mandates. Involve librarians early, budget responsibly, and scale expectations to staffing realities.

Viral Justice Lens: Equity means funding the future—not just dreaming about it.

5. Foster Cultures of Transparency and Trust

Librarians thrive in environments where leadership listens, colleagues collaborate, and feedback flows freely.

CALM Insight – Communication and Learning: Trust grows through consistent dialogue, reflective practice, and institutional humility.

Viral Justice Lens: Healing begins with honesty. Transparency is how we build relational equity—not just operational clarity.

Toward a Fairer Future

Overwork in academic libraries is not a time problem. It’s a justice problem. It reflects deeper failures in how power is distributed, how value is measured, and how institutions define excellence.

If we apply Ruha Benjamin’s vision of viral, everyday justice, and pair it with the CALM framework—Communication, Adaptability, Learning, and Management—we can transform not just individual experiences but entire organizational cultures.

Let’s stop pretending burnout is a personal shortcoming. It’s a signal. A warning. And—if we listen closely enough—an invitation to do things differently.

Further Reading

• Brigid Schulte. Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time. Picador, 2014.
  A foundational book on modern busyness and the structural forces that shape time scarcity—especially for women and caregivers.

• Ruha Benjamin. Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want. Princeton University Press, 2022.
  A visionary guide for building equity in everyday systems—starting with the seemingly small but deeply consequential.