flea - could you talk about coping strategies with the direct supervisor you like?

I know it's aggravating, but the best thing might be to stick it out and start looking for a new job. That way if the hiring freezes do interfere, you still have your income while you look. Then when you do find another job, you can just leave.

That's how I've made it through the last year. It's not really fair to him, either. He hates the bullshit as much as I do and it's not fair to ask him to deal with my feelings as well as his own!

We could probably squeak by without my income for some time. And if I didn't get a new job I would be better positioned to hard-carry my children through whatever the 2020-2021 school year ends up being.

Would not having your income be a real hardship for your family if you can't find other work right away?

Would not working make you feel better or worse than you do now?

I'm in favor of not putting up with being treated badly by higher ups. Sticking it out for your coworkers and immediate supervisor is the kind of snare I would fall into, I get that feeling, but you do have to look out for yourself.IT's definitely not a failure on your part to care about stupid decision making and disrespect. If you can talk about your reasons either in your resignation or an exit interview, it might even help make things better there in the future

ETA - my $0.02; please keep talking through your thinking!

My industry is taking this moment to publicly air ALL the grievances. Is that something that could happen in your org? Could there be a critical mass of people with the same complaints?

flea, there is such a huge disparity in how libraries are operating. It really comes down to effective leadership and respect for the employees. In a library the size of yours, in a city like that, I couldn't blame you at all for saying to hell with it. Your safety and the health and well being of your family comes first.

Sticking it out for your coworkers and immediate supervisor is the kind of snare I would fall into

This is how I stayed at the BBC three years longer than I should have. When one of my co-workers was the first to quit, it gave everyone else a much needed kick in the pants to start looking elsewhere, and within a year everyone in the department had moved on and left Toxic Asshole Manager on her own.

And if I didn't get a new job I would be better positioned to hard-carry my children through whatever the 2020-2021 school year ends up being.

This is pretty huge too - if I couldn't work from home, I'd be seriously considering if my household could get by on one income.

Oh god, the only job posted in the metro area right now is for a children's librarian, a position requiring a masters degree and 3-5 years of experience. Guess how much it pays? $17 an hour. Don't go into librarianship, people.