While navigating the Hyperlinked Communities module resources, one of the themes that remained top-of-mind for me was that of libraries investing in their patrons’ mental health through programming focused on overall wellbeing, whether through meditation, mindfulness practices, or other techniques. In the Hyperlinked Communities lecture video, @michael recounted his personal experience attending a library meditation program that instructed participants to find their own mantra to meditate on within the library materials (Stephens, 2025). Serving our communities means paying attention to all of their needs: not just identifying their intellectual interests or helping them find information, but also striving to be a space of calm, peace, and respite in the context of their busy lives.
Around the same time that I was making my way through this module, I began hearing questions from patrons at the library where I work about a workshop series we’re hosting called Awakening the Heart Through Mindfulness. After the first phone call I answered concerning the event, I reviewed the program information and found it to be completely lovely: a series of five classes led by neuroscientist and mindfulness guru Jaime Pineda of UCSD intended to serve as an introduction to implementing mindfulness rituals into our everyday lives (Coronado Public Library, 2026). That call came a few weeks prior to the first class, and at that time, that patron was one of the first to register for the event. As the weeks went by, I continued to field questions about the series. The day before the first class, I answered another call in which someone wanted to register for the program and found that the registration list was not only full, but had already amassed a sizable waitlist! I was pleasantly surprised to see how eager the community was to participate in events like this one. Clearly, the demand for wellness programming is alive and well (haha).
All too often, mental healthcare can seem just out of reach. Professional therapy or counseling is not readily available or financially accessible to many people. Yet, the constant stressors of life do reach us all. As Angela Savage, CEO of Public Libraries Victoria, points out, libraries are uniquely equipped to assist in bridging this gap in wellness services with the resources that they already possess (Hasan, 2022). Beyond having the connections, means, and motivation to aid in this endeavor, libraries already inhabit the role of an open, welcoming place for so many. According to surveys conducted by Public Libraries Victoria and State Library Victoria, an overwhelming majority of people view public libraries as safe spaces that make them feel better (Hasan, 2022). This sentiment is echoed in Ciara Eastell’s TED Talk, where she describes the library as a place where “you cease to be a consumer; you’re here as a citizen, free to be yourself and to pursue your personal interests, safe in the knowledge that no one is going to ask you to pay. You can just be” (TEDx Talks, 2019).
As the participants of the first session of the mindfulness workshop were funneling out of the library last Saturday with contented looks on their faces, I was sitting at the nearby reference desk and wondering about the strategies they might have learned. My coworker Rebekah (who does not work on Saturdays) walked past at this moment. We got to talking, and I learned that she had come in on her day off just to attend the workshop—a program needed by patrons and staff alike! I can’t think of a better place to learn to just be—one of the core tenets of mindfulness—than at the library.
References:
Coronado Public Library. (2026). Awakening the heart through mindfulness. https://coronado.librarycalendar.com/event/awakening-heart-through-mindfulness-49183
Hasan, T. N. (2022, October 20). ‘Free, non-judgemental, accessible’: How your local library is a sanctuary of health and wellness. SBS Bangla. https://www.sbs.com.au/language/bangla/en/article/free-nonjudgmental-and-accessible-how-your-local-library-is-a-sanctuary-of-health-and-wellness/t15blzsi9
Stephens, M. (2025). Hyperlinked communities [Lecture slides]. Panopto. https://sjsu-ischool.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=3eacdb23-84fd-49e5-9975-aef3014b3ed2
TEDx Talks. (2019, June 13). How libraries change lives | Ciara Eastell | TEDxExeter [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvt-lHZBUwU
@cvaille I am so glad you wrote about this. It was incredibly interesting, and you will see later on in the semester. I believe it’s in the reflective practice module I cover a bit on meditation. I think that’s where it is. This is a space where I think libraries could play a significant role with mental health and well-being as a focus for programming and related services. This would make for an excellent planning assignment or inspiration report.
Hi Caitlin,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I resonated greatly with your post! I am a big believer and practitioner of mindfulness for quite some time now, it has given so much richness, meaning, and awareness to my own life. I am in accordance with you that I think it such a fantastic idea for libraries to continue to show up and support their communities but especially in ways to improve patron’s mental and physical health. I am glad to see this trend gaining more traction, prioritizing wellness for ourselves and each other. I feel fortunate to be alive and in this timeline, but I feel like collectively it can be incredibly overwhelming and stressful for many currently (myself included). Having libraries continuing to be there to serve as third spaces, creative outlets, and as communal refuges are more meaningful than ever. I am looking forward to see how this trend continues to grow and evolve. I appreciated your thoughts on this and hope you have a lovely rest of your weekend!