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Complement efforts in the classroom to work on social-emotional learning and understand the affective needs of young people in library settings.Given the national climate of anxiety and fear, climbing diagnoses of neurological difference, and overall sensitivity, fewer young people come to school able to self-soothe. Building on the work of Nel Noddings, Lynne Evarts, and Meghan Harper, this book focuses on the deliberation, quiet, and reflection sometimes described collectively as mindfulness.
From breathing exercises to meditation, mindfulness exercises can be a coping mechanism for at-risk students, and librarians can create an environment, away from the classroom, in which students can explore their abilities to regulate and control their social and emotional responses, skills that underpin information retrieval and analysis. The role of school libraries in promoting mindfulness in the twenty-first century could parallel the quest for intellectual stimulation and self-improvement that informed the public libraries movement in the late nineteenth century. Providing practical suggestions for working in concert with classroom teachers, school counseling staff, and community partners, this guide will inform librarians' practice by increasing awareness of how to create a nurturing space for students in the school library.
List of contents
Introduction
ONE The Library and Stress
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma
The Student Mental Health Crisis
Library Anxiety
Grit and Resilience
Emotional Intelligence and Social-Emotional Learning
An Ongoing Need for Empathy
References
TWO Sensory Experiences and Self-Soothing in the Library
The Whirlwind of School
What Makes for a Mindful Library Space?
Visual Information Inventory
Beyond Décor
Engage All the Senses
Technology Adjustments
References
THREE Real Accessibility
Liminality and the Library as Liminal Space
The Information Search Process and the Expectation of Uncertainty
Where Does This Fit into the AASL Standards?
References
FOUR Procedures and Policies for Positive Interactions
Why Quiet Study Is Still Relevant
Teaching Reflection in Small Steps
What Does a Mindful School Library Collection Look Like?
Restructuring Discipline
Group Dynamics
Getting Things Done
Getting to Inbox Zero
Calendars
Reference
FIVE Slowing Down Research
Rest
Time for Leadership
Slow Reading and Slow Research
Journaling to Combat Speed
Process Not Product
References
SIX Whole-School Advocacy for Students
Defining Social-Emotional Learning
How Can SEL Help Disadvantaged Students?
Skills and Strategies
References
SEVEN Physical Fitness and Well-Being
Mens Sans in Corpore SanoActivity, Not Exercise
Play
Meditation or Focus
Yoga or Stretching
Breathwork
Sensory Focus
Physical Regulation
References
EIGHT Safety and Other Student Needs
The Work of Lynne Evarts
Other Inspirational Librarians
Empathy
References
NINE Bibliotherapy
The Bibliotherapy Concept
From Mirrors to Prisms
Broader Reading Promotion in Schools
References
TEN Connections to Social Services
When to Seek Help
Whole Person Librarianship: Social Work Concepts for Holistic Patron Services
Working with Other Libraries
Working with Counseling Staff
Working with College Admissions
Working with Military Recruiting
Other Local Agencies
Self-Care
Librarian's Stress and Burnout
References
ELEVEN Mindfulness in Difficult Times
Social-But Not Emotional-Distancing
Trauma Sensitivity
Conclusion
Annotated Bibliography
Index
About the author
Wendy Stephens, PhD, is Assistant Professor and School Library Chair at Jacksonville State University, USA.
