Let’s Talk about Parental Leave

Session archive

Session slides (PDF)

Research Survey Questions (PDF)

Selected quotes from the research (PDF)

Paid parental leave is still not available to the vast majority of people in the United States, including many librarians. In the spring of 2022, the presenter conducted a research study surveying academic librarian mothers about the availability of formal and informal policies related to parental leave.

Mothers were asked to indicate which policies were available to them, barriers to using these policies, and other insight into their parental leave experiences. Whether or not participants have experienced parental leave themselves, the findings may be helpful to all libraries and institutions that wish to support their employees through parental leave with supportive policies and practices.

During this interactive session, we will review the results of the 2022 survey, share attendee experiences and questions about parental leave, and brainstorm both formal and informal ways we all can advocate for and support working parents.

About the presenter

In addition to being a mom, Courtney Drysdale is a Research and Instruction Librarian and Associate Professor for Regis University. A former high school math teacher and elementary school teacher librarian, she enjoys teaching information literacy classes and working with students and faculty on research individually. She is the liaison to Education, Math, and Chemistry. Courtney was the Conference Chair for the Colorado Association of Libraries Conference (CALCON) in 2019 and has served on the conference planning committee since 2017. Her research interests include first year students and library instruction, creating welcoming library environments, and virtual reference.