You Can't Do It All (and That's Okay!)

Time Management and Balance for Burned-Out Librarians

Course Details

December 2 and 9, 2026 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM ET

2-Week Live Online Course + Workshop

8 Credit Hours

Recommended for library workers from all types of libraries.

$282 (Save with early bird and group rates.)

Burnout is not a personal failure and time management alone is not going to fix structural overload. This course helps library staff build a more sustainable way of working without pretending the bigger problems are not real.

Clearer ways to spot the work habits, expectations, and boundary problems draining your energy
Strategies for protecting your time and capacity without stepping away from work you care about
A stronger foundation for working more sustainably in a profession that often treats overextension as normal

ARE YOU RUNNING ON EMPTY AND WONDERING HOW MUCH LONGER YOU CAN KEEP THIS UP?

You’re doing the work of multiple people and still feeling like you’re falling short.
The to-do list never gets shorter, the boundaries never quite hold, and the passion for your work is getting harder to find.
You know the issue is bigger than your schedule; it's the expectations, the understaffing, and the culture that treats librarian flexibility as an unlimited resource.

You’ll leave with a more realistic way to manage your time and energy without treating burnout like a personal flaw.

Enroll in FALL SESSION

Early bird rate is $232 through November 2, 2026. Standard rate is $282 through December 2, 2026.

Need flexibility? If you can’t attend live, you’ll have access to the recordings and all course materials for 6 months.

Invoice or PO options: Orders of $600 or greater can choose invoice at checkout. For orders under $600, please do not check out online. Submit this form, and we will process your order manually.

Need approval? Email this course to your supervisor.

TRAINING A TEAM?

Burnout affects every level of the library. Enroll multiple staff to build healthier boundaries, shared expectations, and more sustainable ways of working across your team.

Multi-seat discounts are automatically calculated in the cart.

Buying for a larger group? Explore all purchasing options

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What You'll Learn Who This is For All the Details

AFTER COMPLETING THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

Identify common structural and cultural contributors to burnout in library work, including understaffing, boundary erosion, and unrealistic professional expectations.
Analyze personal work habits and time management practices to determine which patterns contribute to chronic stress or exhaustion.
Apply practical strategies for setting boundaries, managing workload, and protecting personal time and energy.
Develop a sustainable work approach that aligns professional commitments with realistic limits and long-term well-being.

Together, these outcomes will help participants build practical strategies for sustaining their energy, protecting their time, and continuing their work without normalizing burnout.

This course is especially helpful for:

Librarians who feel stretched too thin and are trying to keep up with impossible workloads
Library staff and leaders who want more realistic strategies for managing time, workload, and energy
Anyone working in a library culture where boundaries are hard to hold and overextension is treated as normal
Professionals who care deeply about their work but know the current pace is not sustainable
Any librarian, at any level or in any library type, who wants a healthier and more manageable relationship with work

If that sounds like your role, you will probably see yourself in this course.

This course will feel especially relevant if you:

Are constantly juggling more work than one person should reasonably be expected to carry
Keep telling yourself you just need to get better organized, even though the bigger problem is the workload itself
Struggle to set boundaries without feeling guilty or like you are letting someone down
Need practical ways to protect your time and energy without stepping away from work you care about
Want to stop treating burnout like a personal flaw and start responding to it more realistically

This course was built for librarians who need a more sustainable way to keep going.

Burnout in library work is not just about poor time management or a lack of personal discipline. It is often the result of chronic understaffing, unrealistic expectations, and a workplace culture that quietly rewards overextension. This two-week course starts from that reality instead of asking you to pretend the system is fine if you could only manage yourself better.

Across two live sessions and structured assignments, you will examine the habits, work patterns, and boundary problems that are draining your time and energy. You will develop practical strategies for working more sustainably, protecting your capacity, and building a healthier relationship with the work you care about without treating rest like failure.

SESSIONS AND PRICING

This course has two live online sessions. If you can’t attend in real time, you will receive access to the recordings and workshop materials.

Rate + deadline	Fall Session
Early bird deadline	November 2, 2026
Early bird price	$232
Standard deadline	December 2, 2026
Standard price	$282
Live Sessions	December 2 and 9, 2026 2:00-4:00 pm ET

GROUP OPTIONS

Training a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay:

Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this course and save.

Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later.

Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com.

COURSE FORMAT

This is a 2-week blended course with two live 2-hour online sessions and structured assignements to complete between and after the live sessions.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

This course is designed to take approximately 8 hours total. That includes both live sessions and the workshop. Though this course was developed to be taken in two-weeks, you will have access to all recordings and materials for 6 months following the first live session and can complete the course at the pace that works for you.

COURSE ACCESS

You will have access to the live session recordings and workshop materials for six months after the course ends.

CREDIT & CERTIFICATE

Complete all course requirements to earn 8 professional development credit hours and a Library Journal certificate of completion.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.

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