Core e-Forum: Wellness Initiatives in Libraries
April 25-26, 2023
Moderated by Sandra Yvette Desjardins, Kelly Williams, Michelle Shea, and Jennifer Batson
Please join us for an e-forum discussion. It’s free and open to everyone!
Registration information is at the end of the message.
Each day, discussion begins and ends at:
Pacific: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Mountain: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Central: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Eastern: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
According to ALA-APA (n.d.), wellness is an active and lifelong process that involves positive decision-making and the ability to find balance between many priorities. It is tied to awareness and to making choices that lead to being happier, healthier, and more fulfilled. Because libraries are valued institutions in their communities and on their campuses, they have an opportunity to provide health and wellness programs that would not only benefit their respective communities, but that could also benefit their employees. During this e-forum session, we will discuss health and wellness initiatives that have been successful, as well as programs that have had fruitful collaborations with wellness-focused organizations in their communities. We will also discuss the best ways to serve patrons who are seeking consumer health or research-based information.
Hosts
Sandra Yvette Desjardins has a MS in Counseling Psychology, an MA in English, an MLS, and she will complete her PhD in Community Psychology in 2024. She has spent her library career in circulation services and enjoys presenting on and assisting with health, wellness, and outreach programs.
Kelly Williams has an MS in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University-Central Texas and a MS in Library Science from the University of North Texas. She’s spent most of her library career working in the technical services departments of academic libraries but recently made a change to reference and instruction. She is currently a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Texas A&M University-Central Texas.
Michelle Shea, MLS, M.Ed., is an Education Librarian at Texas A&M University-Central Texas. She creates presentations and tutorials for course integration, collaborates with faculty on committees, and promotes student-centered services. Her passion is instruction, curriculum planning, and campus outreach.
Jennifer Batson has been teaching information literacy classes for six years, including classes for first-year student through doctoral students in multiple subjects. In addition to her MLS from Texas Woman’s University, she has a BS in Education and an MA in Humanities.
What Is an e-Forum?
A Core e-forum provides an opportunity for librarians to discuss matters of interest, led by a moderator, through the e-forum discussion list. The e-forum discussion list works like an email listserv: register your email address with the list, and then you will receive messages and communicate with other participants through an email discussion. Most e-forums last two to three days. Registration is necessary to participate, but it's free.
For information about upcoming e-forums, please visit http://www.ala.org/core/e-forums
How to Register
You must register your email address to subscribe to or access an electronic discussion list on ALA's Mailing List Service. Once you have registered for one e-forum, you do not need to register again, unless you choose to leave the list. Find instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing online. (http://www.ala.org/core/continuing-education/e-forum-instructions)
If you have any problems, please contact core-eforum+help@groups.io.
*Posted on behalf of the Core Continuing Education Committee.*
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Jason Griffith
Systems Librarian
University of Kentucky
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