Voices Topics in Canadian Librarianship Vol. 2 No. 1 (2018) LIS and Mental Health Voices • Issue #1, 2018 • Vol. 2 librarianship.ca 1 librarianship.ca Her Excellency Sharon Johnston on Mental Health and New Graduates In June 2017, Her Excellency Sharon Johnston received an honorary doctorate from Western University. Speaking to graduating students in nursing and law programs, she offered some mental health advice: As you begin your careers, I invite you to remember three simple things. First, go out into the community to find out what mental health resources exist…before you need them. Second, socialize the issue of mental health among your peers. They may need your support. The unique stresses on lawyers and nurses are as great or greater than any other profession. Fatigue, burnout, family stress, and coping behaviours including alcohol and drugs are quite prevalent in highly trained professionals. Be open and listen to each other. Third, be honest with yourself. You are entering a profession with notoriously high demands and are a precious Canadian Photo credit: Sgt Ronald Duchesne, Rideau Hall resource that we cannot afford to see damaged. It is right and © OSGG-BSGG (2014) honourable to ask for help if you need it. Set a leading example by summoning the courage to seek assistance early. Then learn from that experience in ways you can share. So there it is. Just three bits of advice, really. Where mental health is concerned, be informed, support your peers, and be kind to yourself. You can’t go wrong. Reference Her Excellency Sharon Johnston - Honorary Doctorate from Western University (London, Ontario, Wednesday, June 21, 2017) http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=16896&lan=eng Voices • Issue #1, 2018 • Vol. 2 librarianship.ca 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Voices: Topics in Canadian Librarianship is published Topic: LIS and Mental Health by Librarianship.ca. Guest Editorial ISSN 2371-7882 6 Breaking the Silence The Editors reserve the right to use documents By Sarah Edgar submitted at their discretion. Both English and French Features language submissions are welcome. All submissions must be sent electronically. 8 Beating Mental Illness: How I Survived and Thrived with Depression Editors: By Cassie Lee Robyn Schafer 9 Mindfulness in the Library: A Proactive Approach Cabot Yu for Mental Health in LIS Guest Editor: By Meagan Collins and Nicole Doro Sarah Edgar 12 LIS Mental Health: Creating a Community and EEE-E---mail:mail: [email protected] Breaking the Silence By Violet Fox and Kate Deibel Website: https://librarianship.ca 14 Research Study: Mental Health and Wellness in Opinions expressed in Voices: Topics in Canadian Young Adults in Public Libraries Librarianship are those of the authors. By Sarah Edgar Copyright for articles published in Voices: Topics in 16 Serving Socially Vulnerable Populations at Canadian Librarianship is retained by the authors. Edmonton Public Library By Kyle Marshall and Jessica Knoch 18 It’s the Right Thing To Do: How to Implement a Workplace Mental Health Program By Tanya Sinclair and Michelle Bergeron 21 Partnering to Enhance Mental Health in Libraries By Jessica Carswell, Dr. Abe Oudshoorn, Colleen Amatruda, Dr. Jacquelyn Burkell, Green Ribbon, and Brent Carr © Aleksandrsb | www.dreamstime.com 24 Are “Stress Busters” the Solution? Teaching Wellness at the Academic Library By Emily Carlisle 26 Promoting Mental Health through Student Engagement: Students Helping Students By Mary Lynne Bartlett and Preethi Rao About the Cover Image 30 Mental Health and Special Libraries: Finding a Mental Health is represented by a green ribbon. In Role the 19th century, green was the colour used to label By Danielle MacKinlay people who were considered “insane”. 32 Lonely librarianship: Combating Isolation and The mental health community decided to continue Mental Stress in Information Work to use this colour, but to give it a completely differ- By Caleigh Monk ent meaning. Today, the green ribbon represents Resources new growth and new beginnings. 34 Resources Source: Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre 35 Events (http://keltymentalhealth.ca/) Voices • Issue #1, 2018 • Vol. 2 librarianship.ca 3 CONTRIBUTORS Colleen Amatruda is an Information Services Librarian years. During this time he worked in various roles at the London Public Library’s Central location and including team lead for a treatment program, has had the great pleasure to work directly with the employment support, outreach work, and the Wellness Centre Program. Her eclectic collection and development of a social enterprise. Most recently programming responsibilities include Visual Arts and Brent is serving as the Manager of Community Art History, Technology, and Social Justice. Colleen is Wellness and Justice Programs. Brent has been involved in several anti-poverty advocacy groups involved in the launch of innovative approaches that including Bridges Out of Poverty (Guiding Coalition) promotes a wellness perspective to mental health and the Child and Youth Network’s Ending Poverty which includes launching a community hub. Brent table. graduated from Loyalist College with a B.A.A. in Mary Lynne Bartlett designed the foundation for the Human Services Management and obtained in B.S.W. University of Waterloo Library Ambassador program, from the University of Manitoba. Brent currently is drawing on her 16 years of experience as a supervisor. completing his M.S.W. from the University of She has a Master of Arts degree in Tourism Policy and Waterloo. Planning and has worked at University of Waterloo Jessica Carswell is a Mental Health Worker at the since 2008. She has held her position within the Canadian Mental Health Association Middlesex Library department since 2010. Her role within the (CMHA Middlesex). Jessica has a strong commitment Library has involved maintaining the Library’s social to creating inclusive communities that support media presence and taking photographs. mental health and wellness, and fostering Michelle Bergeron is the Digital Services Technician at opportunities for greater connectivity and Pickering Public Library in Ontario. Michelle is a collaboration with other health and social services to founding member of the WorkWell Committee, enhance service delivery. Jessica has been using these Pickering Public Library’s mental health advisory interests to assist with the development of the group. She has a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring Welcome Centre model in partnership with the in Biology, and is a learning enthusiast who has London Public Library’s Central branch. She was given worked in nearly every library function since her CMHA Middlesex’s 2016 Mental Health Champion career began in 2006. Contact Michelle at award. In addition to her work at CMHA Middlesex, [email protected] Jessica is a member of the Global MINDS @ Western Fellowship Program, an interdisciplinary initiative Jacquelyn Burkell is an Associate Professor and focused on finding solutions for complex global Assistant Dean of Research in the Faculty of mental health challenges. Information and Media Studies at Western University. Her teaching in the Library and Information Science Meagan Collins holds an Honours BA and MA from program at Western focuses on health information Brock University in Political Science. She is currently and research methods. Her research focuses on the completing the Master of Library and Information implications of online information delivery in health Science at Western University. and other contexts, including the justice sector. Kate Deibel is the Inclusion & Accessibility Librarian at Syracuse University Libraries in New York. She has a Emily Carlisle is an MLIS student at Western University and currently a Special Projects Library PhD in Computer Science from the University of Assistant at Western Libraries. When she is not knee- Washington but would much rather talk about web deep in readings and essays for school, she enjoys comics, chili peppers, technology adoption, and practicing yoga, spending time outdoors, and curling changing the world. Connect with her on Twitter up with a classic chick-flick. @metageeky. Brent Carr has worked with Canadian Mental Health Nicole Doro holds an Honours BA and an MA from Association Middlesex (CMHA Middlesex) for nine McMaster University, and is currently studying for her Voices • Issue #1, 2018 • Vol. 2 librarianship.ca 4 MLIS at Western University. Specialist at Fanshawe College, where she focuses on enhancing instructional design, strengthening Sarah Edgar is a recent graduate of Western University’s MLIS program. She is an Adult eLearning and information literacy, and optimizing Programming Library Technician at the Halton Hills the use of OERs. Caleigh is also a recent graduate of Public Library. Sarah is passionate about customer the MLIS program at Western University, the current service, workplace wellness, and innovative Editor of SLA's Wired West Bulletin, and a former programming. She is the guest editor of this issue of government librarian. Voices. Abe Oudshoorn is an Assistant Professor in the Arthur Violet Fox is a metadata and cataloging expert in Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western central Minnesota. She's one of the organizers of the University, as well as the Department of Psychiatry Twin Cities Zine Fest and is excited to help plan the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Associate Zine Librarians unConference in Minneapolis this Scientist with Lawson Health Research Institute, and a summer. Ask Violet about the ethics of classification, member of the