Building Psychological Safety in Academic Libraries: Fostering Innovation, Well-Being, and Engaged Teams

Abstract

In today’s evolving academic library environment, technological change intersects with
persistent post-pandemic challenges and shifting institutional expectations. Library
workers face increasing pressure to innovate while managing expanding workloads. This
landscape has contributed to concerning reports of burnout, low morale, and disengagement
among library professionals. Employee engagement in the United States has fallen to its lowest level in a decade, with only 31 percent of employees feeling engaged at work.