Workplace Bullying in Academic Libraries

This study focuses on the familiar topic of workplace bullying, but in a context where it is unexpected: academic libraries. While typically thought of us serene refuges of intellectual pursuit, academic libraries can play host to rivalries, pressures, and incivility in the same manner as is seen in courtrooms, locker rooms, and boardrooms. The university setting and the forces of academic positionality are surprisingly effective at creating opportunities for workplace bullying. In a scenario where there are continuous interactions between four main groups – faculty, staff, administrators, and students – staff have traditionally been overlooked, and are the most vulnerable. Their vulnerability stems from the fact that they often do not enjoy the protections of tenure that faculty possess, they do not have the organizational authority of administrators, and there is no financial incentive connected with their presence on campus, as there is for students. It is certainly true that there are many nuances glossed over by categorization into these four constituencies. There are different types of students with different needs and perspectives – graduate students, undergraduates, etc. There are different types of faculty as well: associate, adjunct, contingent, and so forth. Yet the fact remains that research is mainly conducted by faculty, and that research focuses disproportionately on faculty and student experiences. The present study seeks to rectify this by inquiring into the experiences of academic librarians and library staff with regard to workplace bullying, whether as target or perpetrator. College and university librarians and library staff were surveyed about their demographics, their mental health and feelings of self-efficacy, and their exposure to workplace bullying. One surprising finding from the responses is that persons who had been in their job for a longer period had a higher likelihood of being the target of workplace bullying