We Need to Talk About Job Creep (See Also: Things Librarians Weren’t Trained For)

Just this week, I wrapped up my very last course ever to officially earn my second Master’s degree—this time in Instructional Design and Technology with a School Library Media Specialist endorsement. Hooray! Woo! Yippee! Hallelujah!

I celebrated the occasion the best way I know how: floating in an inner tube on Lake George in the Adirondacks in upstate New York, the clear water lapping against my tube, totally blissed out. Proudly perched on my head was my reused graduation cap from my first graduate degree. The day ended with a stop at The Wind-Chill Factory for a comically enormous chocolate/peanut butter twist soft serve cone with chocolate jimmies. And honestly? I couldn’t imagine a better ceremony. No speeches. No fanfare. No sweating in a hot, black gown. Just peace, joy, and ice cream in my happy place.

Photo credit: my honey 🍯

Now, seriously—nobody let me go back to school again. I’m done. Forever. She says… *casually Googles doctoral programs for funsies.*

What I Studied (and Why It Matters)

My final course was Online Research and Technology—a 7-week, caffeine-fueled whirlwind of a course that stretched my thinking in the best possible ways. As school librarians, we’re responsible for teaching students how to navigate databases, evaluate sources, cite them properly, and avoid plagiarism. I assumed I was already pretty solid in those areas (I mean, it’s kind of our whole job), but I quickly realized there was still plenty more to learn, especially when it comes to emerging tools and strategies.

When it came time to choose a research topic, I knew I wanted to focus on something that truly matters to our profession. Something real. Something relevant. Something under-discussed. Something that could help us. And that's when it hit me: job creep.

You know, those “extras” we’re often scheduled for (or voluntold to do, expected to pick up… or just feel too guilty to decline) that slowly chip away at our time, energy, and capacity:

➕ Subbing
➕ Lunch duty
➕ Recess and bus duty
➕ Parent pickup/drop-off
➕ Hall monitoring
➕ Test supervision
➕ Teaching outside our certification area
➕ Troubleshooting tech and coordinating devices

...and on, and on, and on.

Image created with Canva AI

After years of dealing with job creep myself, I started wondering: How are other school librarians being used—or misused? Is this a widespread issue, or am I just unlucky? I wanted to explore the scope and impact of these extra duties—not just on individual burnout and morale, but on the quality of library programs and services we are able to provide as a result of the extras.

The more I thought about it, the more urgent it felt. Because I know from experience that unchecked job creep can quietly, but powerfully, erode our ability to do the work we’re actually trained, qualified, and passionate about. I wanted to find out:

Am I alone in this?
Or are others carrying the same invisible weight?

So I decided to make this the focus of my final research project.

Research question

How does job creep compromise school librarians’ morale and their capacity to fulfill core responsibilities including collection management and development, information literacy instruction, and supporting teachers and students?

Image created with Microsoft Copilot

Takeaways: Boolean operators, AI research tools, and PechaKucha

One of my biggest takeaways was discovering how useful AI tools can be when conducting research. They helped me brainstorm topics, refine my research question, and clarify what I actually wanted to study. I’ve always found the “narrowing down” part tricky, but tools like Claude, Gemini, and NotebookLM made it feel surprisingly doable...and...fun?

And a very special shoutout to Boolean operators. (Why did nobody teach me this in undergrad??) They completely transformed the quality of my search results, both professionally and personally, and I’ve started making a habit of using them every day.

Tools That Leveled Up My Research Game

I also learned about some incredible tools that completely transformed how I approach research. Here are just a few of the platforms that made a major difference:

🐇 ResearchRabbit: A visual literature mapping tool that helped me identify high-quality, relevant sources so much faster. It turned research from a scavenger hunt into a guided tour.

🎧 NotebookLM: Google’s AI research assistant helped me spot themes and connections between sources, and even created an auto-generated podcast of them so I could review them while floating in the pool. (What?! Mind blown.)

📚 Zotero: For citation management and saving sources like a "real" researcher.

🧠 Perplexity: An AI-powered search tool that helped me refine and cross-reference information.

These tools didn’t just speed things up—they gave me my brain back. Instead of spiraling down a database rabbit hole (which I oddly enjoy sometimes when not in a time crunch), these tools freed up my time to read, think, and connect the dots. Way more productive, way less frantic.

PechaKucha: My New Presentation Obsession

Can we please talk about PechaKucha presentations for a second? WHERE have these been all my life?! 

The format—20 slides, 20 seconds each, images only—is simple, structured, and weirdly fun. It forces presenters to be concise, stay focused, and highlight only what matters most. No bullet-point monologues. No rambling. It's genius. 10/10 no notes.

I’ll absolutely be pitching PechaKucha next time I lead PD or student presentations. It’s way less intimidating than a traditional slideshow and gives presenters clear, manageable boundaries that help them stay on track. It’s a format that respects both the presenter and the audience. 

Survey Design, Librarian Love, and a WHOLE Lotta Data

Although I’d designed surveys in my first grad program, I genuinely enjoyed revisiting the process. I took time to craft clear, bias-free questions and varied the formats to keep participants engaged. Distributing the survey wasn’t a course requirement, but I felt compelled to do it anyway—and YOU, my amazing librarian PLN, showed up. We really are the most helpful bunch. 💛📚

Your responses were powerful. Some were heartbreaking. Many were eye-opening. A few glimmers of hope shined through.

What I found confirmed what I’d suspected:
✨ I am definitely not alone in this struggle.
✨ The impact of job creep on both morale and library programming is significant.
✨ Systemic change is needed—and fast.

If we want our library programs to thrive, we have to start educating administrators, stakeholders, and colleagues about what our roles actually entail and what happens when we’re pulled too far from them.

Want to See the Final Project?

So now, without further ado and with lots of nerdy pride, I’m thrilled to share my ✨ Digital Research Portfolio ✨, which includes:

• A literature review on job creep in school librarianship

• My original survey results

• AI synthesized findings and reflections

• And a PechaKucha presentation

All of which were created using the aforementioned tools and strategies that got me through this final leg of my academic journey.

What's next?

I’m hoping this research sparks honest conversations about how we protect our core library roles and advocate for sustainable, meaningful work. Because when we’re stretched too thin, it’s not just us who suffer—it’s our students, our teachers, and our school communities.

Someday, I’d love to take this even further—publish my findings, share them widely, and help educate on a broader scale so we can keep pushing for real change.

Image created with Google Gemini

A Quick Note on Sharing

All the content shared here, including my original research, graphics, and writing, belongs to me. If you'd like to reference or share anything from this project, please just ask! I’m always happy to collaborate, chat, or give permission (with credit where credit is due, of course).

Librarians supporting librarians = the dream.

Thanks for respecting the time, heart, and effort that went into this work!

In solidarity and scholarship,

Cardigans, Cats, and Call Numbers 🐱📚