I am a tenured faculty librarian who has worked at the same academic library for 18 years. But prior to that I was a library assistant in a public library, an adjunct lecturer at two colleges, and an engineer for public and private employers. Because I have worked in these very different settings, I believe that I have a unique perspective on academic libraries.

In all my previous full-time positions, I worked with the same co-workers every day. We understood each other’s roles in the organization and knew a few things about each other’s personal lives. We trusted each other without giving it much thought. But when you don’t know your co-workers and you don’t understand why a co-worker did something, you begin to not trust them. Over time the lack of trust between individuals can become the norm in an organization. Frequent turnover of staff at all levels often leads to a work culture that lacks trust among employees. This situation can easily occur at libraries supporting rapidly growing colleges and universities unless action is taken to counteract it.