Burn out in user services

Abstract

The term "burn out" is frequently used to describe a person's fatigue or tire of a particular job or task. More often than not, it is associated with the helping professions and other jobs where people help other people. It is common to hear someone say that they are "burned out on the job," or "burned out on people," or just plain "burned out." One of the themes of the 8th User Services Conference held in 1980 in Morgantown, West Virginia, was the topic of the effects and treatment of burn out in user services personnel. Papers presented by Dr. James F. Carruth of West Virginia University and Janice A. Bartleson of Southern Illinois University were helpful in defining and coping with the problems of job fatigue in user services. In 1984, we have organized this panel discussion to reinspect the topic, especially with regard to the numerous changes that have taken place in our computing environments and the ways in which we help our users. To anyone working in user services, it should be obvious that the spreading out of computing services, in both quality and quantity, will continue to have dramatic impacts on the people who are designated to "help the users help themselves."