Summer is usually a whirlwind—suitcases half-packed between trips, slides fine-tuned at midnight, and name tags hanging from my neck like medals from the frontlines of library advocacy. For years, summer has meant conference halls, panels, keynotes, and vibrant conversations with colleagues from across the globe. As a librarian, advocate, and global representative, visibility is part of the role. So is movement.
But this summer, I made a different choice.
Instead of boarding another flight to stand behind a podium, I boarded a plane to Puerto Rico—to sit beside my family. To be present. To care. To exhale.
And in doing so, I said yes to something my heart had been quietly calling for.
The Personal Is Professional: Caring as a Core Value
My decision to step away this summer was deeply personal—rooted in love, responsibility, and the desire to show up for the people who shaped me. Whether it was caregiving or simply being there, this time reminded me that the same values I hold dear in librarianship—service, care, community— begin at home.
Some of us would argue that librarians are caregivers by profession. We tend to collections, communities, and the public good. But who reminds us to tend to ourselves and our loved ones? This summer, I chose to embody the ethics I advocate for: centering care where it matters most.
Wellness as Leadership
"Wellness is not a pause from leadership — it is the foundation on which sustainable leadership is built. Choosing presence over performance means choosing clarity, connection, and longevity."
There’s a quiet and dangerous myth that circulates through our profession—that the best leaders never stop. That showing up means always being on, always visible, always saying yes.
This myth breaks people.
It breaks our backs, our spirits, our relationships. And it’s even more insidious for women of color in leadership, who are often expected to overperform just to be seen as competent. We are expected to be tireless—when what we truly need is time.
In an era where burnout is a badge of honor and the inbox never sleeps, rest becomes resistance.
Stepping away wasn’t easy. But it was necessary. And it was brave. Because leadership doesn’t only happen behind a microphone. It also happens in the quiet courage of modeling boundaries—especially in a culture that teaches us to ignore our own needs.
The View from Puerto Rico
There’s a kind of magic you can only find in stillness. One morning in Puerto Rico, I sat on the balcony sipping my tea, watching the sun climb over the mountains. My sisters burst into laughter inside the house, the scent of their cooking floated through the air, while my dad showed me the different farm animals he had acquired. And I realized: this is what sustains me. Making true what bell hooks, who was a Berea College professor and prolific author, said, "Love is an action, never simply a feeling."
Presence. Joy. Connection.
What I gained by stepping back wasn’t a break from my profession. It was a deep reconnection with my purpose.
What I Learned (and What I Hope Others See)
Here’s what this summer reminded me—and what I hope others feel permission to embrace:
- Wellness is not optional. It is foundational.
- Family is not a distraction. It’s a sacred anchor.
- Rest is not a reward. It’s a right.
- Leadership isn’t diminished by absence. Sometimes, it’s strengthened by it.
Conferences will return. So will deadlines and in-person lectures. But the time to be well—to care for our bodies, our minds, our loved ones—that time is fleeting. And it cannot wait.
I kept coming back to what poet and author Audre Lorde said, "I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent… it is self-preservation."
A Call to Action: Rest as a Professional Practice
We need more than individual acts of resistance. We need structural change:
- Let’s normalize leaders taking breaks.
- Let’s build professional cultures that respect boundaries.
- Let’s include wellness planning in our organizational strategies.
- Let’s shift from performative productivity to sustainable service.
Imagine if our institutions recognized rest as a professional development tool. What if sabbaticals, flexible scheduling, or mental health days were not seen as luxuries — but as necessities?
Wellness isn’t the opposite of work. It is what makes meaningful work possible.
Still Leading—Just Differently this Summer
This summer, I didn’t vanish from the profession. I was still working, still connecting, still leading—but I did so on my own terms. I showed up virtually, supported colleagues behind the scenes, and kept the rhythm going like a DJ carefully curating a set from afar.
I am deeply grateful to my amazing colleagues for wonderful collaborations this summer—together. We presented various online events about wellness for the LIS community and school librarians. I also had the honor of delivering a lecture titled "Fostering Peace and Collaboration through Libraries: A Think Tank Approach", in person at the German Library Conference, BiblioCon2025, in Bremen.
A full conference report is here
Additionally, I had the privilege to lead the first-ever ALA UN Delegation to the UN High Level Political Forum 2025 in New York City, a long-time dream come true.
What I chose to step away from was being everywhere physically. And that, too, was an act of leadership.
In a profession that often equates presence with performance, choosing (mostly) not to travel—especially as a visible leader—felt radical. But it was also deeply necessary. It reminded me that our impact doesn’t always require a stage or a badge or a boarding pass.
Sometimes, leadership means knowing when to say yes—and when to say not right now.
I remain committed to this work, this profession, and this community. But this summer, I committed first to myself and my family. And in doing so, I am returning with more clarity, more grounding, and more to give.
Loida Garcia-Febo is an International Library Consultant and San Jose State University Health & Wellness Ambassador. She is the Chair, IFLA Management of Library Associations and an IFLA Governing Board Member. She is past president of the American Library Association (2018-2019) and chairs two ALA committees—the ALA United Nations SDGs Committee and the ALA Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship
Resources for Wellness in Librarianship
- Brown, B. (2021). Atlas of the heart: Mapping meaningful connection and the language of human experience. Random House.
- Hersey, T. (2022). Rest is resistance: A manifesto (1st ed.). Little, Brown Spark.
- García-Febo, L. (2025). The healing effect of social connections: Librarians addressing loneliness and building more connected lives. In B. L. Newman (Ed.), Well-being in the library workplace: A handbook for managers (pp. 115–127). American Library Association.
- Tawwab, N. G. (2021). Set boundaries, find peace: A guide to reclaiming yourself. Piatkus.
- Robbins, M., & Robbins, S. (2024). The Let Them Theory: A life-changing tool that millions of people can’t stop talking about. Hay House.