I don’t have time to play D&D. I have cancer.

1. Short Session Description: Before I was diagnosed with cancer, I never thought too much about extended medical leaves and how it would feel to come back to work after/while grappling with an illness. It turns out that there is a rich body of scholarly, interdisciplinary literature about “return to work”––though it does not seem to be addressed in the library literature. In this facilitated roundtable discussion, we will share some of our own experiences with return to work after an extended medical leave. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect upon their own or a colleague’s experience, as well as ask questions and learn more about return to work in academic librarianship.

2. Session Format: Discussion roundtable/facilitated discussion type session.

The conveners will share their own experiences with returning to work, and ask for participants to share their experiences. We would like to have a guided, quiet reflective writing component at the beginning of the session, wherein participants can reflect on their own return-to-work experiences and come up with questions they would like the roundtable to address. These experiences could be their own experiences with returning to work after an extended medical leave, or their experiences with a colleague’s return to work. Participants who haven’t experienced a return to work situation may also find a safe space here in which to ask questions of the conveners who have experienced it.

3. Takeaways: During this session, participants will be able to listen to various experiences of library folks who have returned to work after an extended medical leave. Participants will also have the opportunity to share their own experiences after doing some guided reflective writing. The major takeaway from the session will be a sense of community and not-alone-ness, tips from other participants about what worked or didn’t work for them, and a feeling of empowerment from talking about something that is usually experienced silently and in the shadows. We want participants leave feel encouraged, emboldened, and safe to ask for what they need in their own workplaces. Participants who have not themselves experienced a return to work will have a safe space to ask their questions of those of us who have, and leave with new knowledge about what return to work might look like in different places.

4. Organization: This summer, I am conducting a broader survey of library workers who have taken an extended medical leave and have had a return-to-work experience. I am actually hoping to find co-conveners through that survey. But I am also open to doing a CFP to The Collective’s community! I would like to have at least 2-3 other co-conveners, preferably people I have never worked with before, so that we can have a more inclusive session.

5. Contact Information: Alex Gallin-Parisi (agallin@trinity.edu)