Behind the Smile: The Emotional Labour of Public Library Work

Co-Speaker: Norene Erickson – Assistant Professor, MacEwan University

What happens when, despite providing professional and respectful customer service, you are yelled at, threatened, or challenged? How do you manage your raw emotions during and after the event? What supports exist to help you work through these feelings? The presenters investigated emotional labour in public libraries and will share stories from the frontlines of customer service. We will consider strategies that can be used to deal with the effects of emotionally charged customer encounters.