Library middle managers operate at the intersection of multiple, often competing expectations. They answer upward to senior leadership, support and guide frontline staff, respond to patron needs, and collaborate with campus or community partners. This constant shifting of focus and priorities and buffering of competing needs creates conditions ripe for cognitive exhaustion, where managers must rapidly toggle between conflicting demands and emotional tones. Over time, the cumulative strain of these rapid pivots contributes to pivot fatigue, an exhaustion born from perpetual change, shifting directives, and the pressure to always remain adaptable.
This presentation will define and introduce the framework of change exhaustion, emotional whiplash, and pivot fatigue, specifically within library middle management roles and discuss their implications for leadership and staff support. In addition, it will explore how organizational structures, expectations, and dysfunction exacerbate these challenges and contribute to the pivot fatigue cycle. The presenters will also share practical tips and coping strategies to support middle managers who find themselves stuck in the pivot fatigue cycle.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that the public is using increasingly for menial tasks such as creating a grocery list or writing an email; but what happens when an individual seeks AI guidance about their physical health before seeking guidance from a human clinician? This poster presentation will highlight the progress and findings of a microstudy based in Louisville. The study is focused on how consumer health information is being sought out by human users and then disseminated via artificial intelligence large language models (LLMs). The presenter will report on background literature regarding AI and consumer health in a succinct format, such as pros and cons. After briefly touching on background information, the presenter will discuss how the study has been conducted (via one-to-one interviews with local Louisville (residents), then share thematic findings based on the verbal interviews and testimonies of the study participants. All data reported will be based on de-identified, anonymized testimonies to protect the privacy of every participant. Towards the end of the presentation, the presenter will discuss future implications and how librarians can promote technological/AI literacy and health literacy among their patrons.
