Trauma-Informed Leadership Approaches to Legacy Toxicity: The Road to Wellness #ACRL2025 Panel

I had the honor of being on a panel with Kaetrena David Kendrick and Alma Ortega organized by L Slingluff and Elizabeth Dill on Trauma-Informed Leadership Approaches to Legacy Toxicity: The Road to Wellness. 

We had so many great questions from Elizabeth and L and the audience I need to make time to listen to the recording. Thank you so much to L and Elizabeth for organizing this!

I planned to post a list of recommended reading and references as a follow up and someone asked me to share my list that was an answer to this question

What would you say are characteristics of a healthy or well workplace?

Psychological Safety

• Staff feel safe to express ideas, concerns, and mistakes without fear of retaliation.
• Constructive feedback is encouraged and acted upon.
• Leadership models vulnerability, transparency, and inclusivity

Respect for Boundaries and Work-Life Balance

• Clear expectations around working hours and communication norms.
• Flexibility is embraced for example, remote work options, adjusted schedules.
• Leadership models healthy boundaries

Trust and Empathetic Leadership

• Managers demonstrate compassion, competence, and active listening.
• Leaders build trust by being transparent and inclusive in decision-making.

Inclusive and Equitable Practices

• Cultural humility, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility principles, and trauma-informed approaches are integrated.
• Discrimination, including anti-fat bias, and ableism are actively addressed.
• All voices are valued, regardless of role or identity.

Support for Emotional and Invisible Labor

• Emotional and unseen tasks (e.g., team morale, mentorship, organizing social events) are acknowledged and supported.
• Staff are not penalized for the emotional toll of service or caregiving responsibilities.

Recognition and Appreciation

• Regular, sincere recognition for staff contributions.

Ergonomic and Healthy Physical Spaces

• Safe, accessible, and comfortable workspaces –  proper lighting, clean air, reduced noise
• Access to natural light and nature.
• Ergonomic furniture and flexible workstations.

Reasonable and Clear Work Expectations

• Realistic performance standards and staff workloads are manageable.
• Expectations are clear, consistent, and fairly communicated.

Opportunities for Growth and Development

• Professional development is prioritized as part of workplace wellness.
• Staff are encouraged and supported in their growth through training and mentorship.

Organizational Commitment to Well-Being

• Well-being is embedded in policies and culture, not just individual effort.
• Leadership takes an active role in reducing burnout and creating psychological safety

Wellness is considered in strategic planning, it is a requirement, not an extra.

References and Recommendations

Bologna, C. (2023, October 19). Nice vs. Kind: The Difference Is Significant. HuffPost Life. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nice-kind-difference_l_650b53ffe4b0d75184692b0e

Borsellino, R. (2022, November 3). It’s Official: Toxic Workplaces Are Hazardous to Your Health. The Muse. https://www.themuse.com/advice/surgeon-general-toxic-workplace-dangerous

Clark, T. R. (2021, June 25). The Hazards of a “Nice” Company Culture. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/06/the-hazards-of-a-nice-company-culture

Edmondson, A. C., & Bransby, D. P. (2023). Psychological Safety Comes of Age: Observed Themes in an Established Literature. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(Volume 10, 2023), 55–78. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-055217

Herrick Juarez, A. (2019, July 15). 36. Libraries and Toxic Leadership: Having the Conversation with Alma Ortega. Library Leadership Podcast. https://libraryleadershippodcast.com/36-libraries-and-toxic-leadership-having-the-conversation-with-alma-ortega/

Hopwood, J. (2023). Understanding the Importance of Creativity Towards Psychological Safety in the Library Workplace. School of Information Student Research Journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.31979/2575-2499.120202

Kendrick, K. D. (2021). Leaving the Low-Morale Experience: A Qualitative Study. ALKI: The Washington Library Association Journal, 37(2).

Kendrick, K. D. (2023). The Cornered Office: A Qualitative Study of Low-Morale Experiences in Formal Library Leaders. Journal of Library Administration, 63(3), 307–338.

Kendrick, K. D., & Damasco, I. T. (2019). Low morale in ethnic and racial minority academic librarians: An experiential study. Library Trends, 68(2), 174-212.

Kendrick, K.D. (2020). The public librarian low-morale experience: A qualitative study. Partnership, 15(2), 1-32.

Kurter, H. L. (2021, July 23). Managers, Here Are 6 Toxic Behaviors That Are Destroying Your Employee’s Confidence. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/heidilynnekurter/2021/07/23/managers-here-are-6-toxic-behaviors-that-are-destroying-your-employees-confidence/

Michalak, R., Dawes, T. A., Cawthorne, J. E., & Association of College and Research Libraries. (2024). Toxic dynamics: Disrupting, dismantling, and transforming academic library culture. Association of College and Research Libraries.

Newman, B. L. (2022). Fostering wellness in the workplace: A handbook for libraries. ALA Editions.

Newman, B. L. (2024, April 5). Psychological Safety in Libraries and the Veneer of Niceness. Librarian by Day. https://librarianbyday.net/2024/04/05/psychological-safety-in-libraries-and-the-veneer-of-niceness/

Newman, B. L. (2024, March 22). Setting Boundaries at Work for Personal and Team Wellbeing. Librarian by Day. https://librarianbyday.net/2024/03/22/setting-boundaries-at-work-for-personal-and-team-wellbeing/

Newman, B. L. (Ed.). (2025). Well-Being in the Library Workplace: A Handbook for Managers. ALA Editions.

Ortega, A. (2017). Academic libraries and toxic leadership. Chandos Publishing.

Pizarro, M. C. (2022, August 9). Identifying Toxic Leaders And How To Handle Them. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2022/08/09/identifying-toxic-leaders-and-how-to-handle-them/

Powers, A. C., & Fife, D. (2025). Psychological Safety in Libraries: It’s a Team Sport. College & Research Libraries News, 86(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.86.3.104

Price, D. (2021). Laziness does not exist. Atria Books.

Shuster, L. (2023, September 20). 7 Signs Of A Toxic Workplace And 7 Proven Remedies. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2023/09/20/7-signs-of-a-toxic-workplace-and-7-proven-remedies/

Slingluff, L., & Dill, E. (2025). Trauma-Informed Leadership: Managing Legacy Toxicity. In J. Crum & D. H. Ketchum (Eds.), Trauma-Informed Leadership in Libraries (Vol. 44, pp. 5–20). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0732-067120250000044002

Solis-Moreira, J. (2023, December 13). The difference between being nice and kind | CNN. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/health/nice-vs-kind-difference-wellness/index.html

I’m available for training, consulting, or coaching.

#acrl #acrl2025 #Leadership #mentalHealth #research #traumaInformedLeadership

My heart's with all of you who are in Minneapolis at #acrl2025 this week.

Do you know researchers who need a research data management training for their group, lab, project, or department? I do training, please pass this on!

This research data management training proposal is the first of a series of pitch decks I'm going to be writing! The need for direct service training outstrips the rising number of data librarians, and I can help! https://sarahoelker.com/rdm-pitch-deck/

The ACRL 2025 Conference starts today!

Come and find the Open Book Collective (OBC) at booth no. 336.

📆 02 - 05 April, 2025
📍 Minneapolis, MN

Check out the full programme 👉 https://buff.ly/M6u35CO

Find out more about the OBC 👉https://buff.ly/fl3lto9

#ACRL2025