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Candace Ming: Immediate Access, Weird Collectors, and the Necessity of Personal Time

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Candace Ming: Immediate Access, Weird Collectors, and the Necessity of Personal Time

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S4.8: Candace Ming: Immediate Access, Weird Collectors, and the Necessity of Personal Time

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As usual these days, I'm behind. I keep feeling like I'm going to catch up with myself and the podcast and maybe I will but it seems like life and this horrible pandemic and Other Stuff keep coming up.

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Steven Hickman, Psy.D., executive director of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, offers this timely perspective on managing our new virtual reality.

I've been teaching mindfulness and compassion for about twenty years now, and I believe I thrive when I'm sitting with a group of people open to exploring this transformative practice. Friends and family have known me to "come alive" when I am teaching and I feel a familiar surge of excitement and animation when I have those opportunities. But the other day, a colleague invited me to co-teach a short compassion session online with her. I deeply appreciated the invitation but immediately declined because I just haven't felt like a teacher since this virus invaded our lives. I've worked my tail off in other ways, but something had me holding back from teaching. I knew in my bones that I couldn't do this, but that made me curious.

I've spent hours in Zoom meetings of various sorts the past couple weeks, connected with dear friends in China, Australia, England, Israel, Spain, Singapore, Canada, Switzerland and Croatia (to name just a few). I have felt joy arising to see the faces and hear the voices of people whose faces and voices I first encountered when we were breathing the same air, standing in the same physical space, each (in Dan Siegel's term) "feeling felt" by the other. And so it was nice to be with them electronically in this age of social distancing and sheltering in place.

And that was it, it was nice.

I've been so busy lately that I thought perhaps I was just fatigued. But the more it happens, the more I realize that I end up feeling both connected but disconnected to these dear people. And I have heard multiple accounts of therapists doing tele-therapy and sharing how exhausted they feel after several sessions online.

Zoom Exhaustion Is Real

There is a different quality to our attention when we are online. We are hyper-focused on the few available visual cues that we normally gather from a full range of available body language. Or perhaps, we are totally distracted and checking email while we are supposed to be conversing or listening intently to a colleague's detailed presentation. If we are with several people online at the same time, we are simultaneously processing visual cues from all of those people (and perhaps a handful of their pets and children too!) in a way we never have to do around a conference table. It is a stimulus-rich environment, but just like rich desserts, sometimes too rich is just too much.

If we are with several people online at the same time, we are simultaneously processing visual cues from all of those people in a way we never have to do around a conference table.

And when we start to be over-stimulated by extraneous data that we haven't had to process in the physical world, each new data point pushes us just a little bit farther away from the human-to-human connection that we all crave and appreciate. Italian management professor Gianpiero Petriglieri recently tweeted "It's easier being in each other's presence, or in each other's absence, than in the constant presence of each other's absence." So beautifully and eloquently perceptive!

The constant presence of my colleagues' absence may have been underlying my disinclination to do what I love on this platform that has become a lifeline for so many of us. And so, the question arises for me: Is there some way to ease the burden of this "disconnected connection" and allow me to foster a better balance of connection between us?

Six Ways to Manage Zoom so we Can Find Balance and Connection

Here's what I am going to try starting today (and suggest you consider) when my new reality resumes anew and I find myself on various calls with all manner of people looking to connect in various ways:

Take a few moments before clicking "Start" to settle and ground your attention. Take a few breaths, feel your body on the chair, notice whatever is present in your mind and allow yourself to arrive fully to the moment at hand. If you're feeling unsettled or preoccupied, you might place your hand on your heart in a supportive and comforting way as if to say "I'm here for you. It's ok to feel how you feel at this moment."

Take the time to truly greet whoever is in the room with your full attention-offer your attention to each face that appears (if the group is not too big). Give yourself a moment for each person to make an impression on you, and "take in the good" as Rick Hanson would say. Give yourself an opportunity to feel what it feels like to be in the presence of another.

Choose "speaker view." In Zoom, one can choose Speaker View or Gallery View, and I think I prefer Speaker View so that the one person who is speaking has more of my attention and the others are more peripheral. This seems to be more like sitting around a conference table where we are aware of everyone there but we direct our attention primarily to whoever is speaking. Tracking an array of 24 (or more) faces on the screen can be a challenge!

Resist the urge to multitask. I sheepishly have to admit that I am a multi-tasker on Zoom many times and have been known to read and fire off several emails while also sitting in a meeting. This has got to stop. Not because I need to hyper-focus on just what is happening in the meeting, but because I can't be putting additional effort into attending to anything else. If anything, I need to let go of a bit of "efforting" and let my attention rest more lightly and lovingly on what (and who) is before me. I can periodically ease up my focus and look out the window behind my screen, or at the knick-knacks on the shelves in my office, or just soften my gaze to take in the array of faces on my screen (to see without looking) without having to analyze or scrutinize any of them.

Try to take measured breaks between sessions. As a clinical psychologist, when I used to do psychotherapy, I was fairly good at enforcing a 50-minute hour. That gave me ten minutes to write notes, run to the restroom, get a drink of water and generally settle and decompress. Quite often my Zoom meetings run back to back and I find that sometimes my Zoom room becomes a kind of random encounter anteroom where people from various aspects of my personal and professional life bump into each other for a few moments on their way in and out of a meeting with me. Fun as these moments are sometimes, I need to take better care of my precious attention and energy, and take a refreshing pause. Why not give that a try yourself?

And finally, remind yourself periodically that this is a new place between presence and absence that we will have to learn how to accommodate as we go forward into the uncertain future. It is both better than absence (imagine life in a pandemic without FaceTime, Zoom, Skype and the rest) and not quite as resonant as presence (do we know if mirror neurons still function over the internet like they do in person?). Let's see if we can simultaneously refrain from high expectations without dismissing the clear benefits of online communication.

And let's not forget those benefits. We can have important meetings while only dressed appropriately from the waist up. Our beloved pets can be perched lovingly in our laps while we review our colleague's budget projections. If we are the host of the meeting we can "accidentally" mute or remove a colleague in a way that would never be socially appropriate in person. We can even feign a poor connection if the meeting is getting so deadly dull that we are in danger of nodding off and striking our heads on our keyboards.

But on a serious note, let's not dismiss this amazing technology, but instead learn to find a way to assimilate it into a full spectrum of interpersonal experiences that our new lives include. Let's be present to absence, without becoming absent to presence. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it to develop this new capacity.

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Zoom Exhaustion is Real. Here Are Six Ways to Find Balance and Stay Connected

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Steven Hickman, Psy.D., executive director of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, offers this timely perspective on managing our new virtual reality.

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The Importance of Wellness in the Workplace

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The Importance of Wellness in the Workplace

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The ALA-APA is an organization dedicated to promoting the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers, so it has a distinct interest in helping library workers address their own wellness and the wellness of their libraries.

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Individual and community well-being are inherently connected, so it is vitally important that workplaces be places of wellness for their employees. The ALA-APA is an organization dedicated to promoting the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers, so it has a distinct interest in helping library workers address their own wellness and the wellness of their libraries.

Wellness is an active and lifelong process, involving positive decision-making and finding balance between many priorities. It is tied to awareness and to making choices that lead to being happier, healthier, and more fulfilled. The resources on this website are here to help you better your personal wellness in the 8 dimensions. Click on one of the buttons below to get started. pornchat

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Helping to Support Overall Wellness for All Library Workers

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Individual and community well-being are inherently connected, so it is vitally important that workplaces be places of wellness for their employees. The ALA-APA is an organization dedicated to promoting the mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers, so it has a distinct interest in helping library workers address their own wellness and the wellness of their libraries.

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The Women Archivists Section Present: "Self Care is a Radical Act! Virtual Workshop.

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The Women Archivists Section Present: "Self Care is a Radical Act! Virtual Workshop.

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Attendees had the opportunity to in engage group work and self-reflection exercises in an interactive 75-minute workshop designed for professionals who are interested in becoming more accustomed to practicing radical self-care on a daily basis. Dorothy Berry was our guest speaker.

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Description

The Women Archivists Section Present: "Self Care is a Radical Act! Virtual Workshop." Members will have the opportunity to in engage group work and self-reflection exercises in an interactive 75-minute workshop designed for professionals who are interested in becoming more accustomed to practicing radical self-care on a daily basis.

Contributors

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Description The Women Archivists Section Present: "Self Care is a Radical Act! Virtual Workshop." Members will have the opportunity to in engage group work and self-reflection exercises in an interactive 75-minute workshop designed for professionals who are interested in becoming more accustomed to practicing radical self-care on a daily basis.

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"From embracing escapism to hiking or taking a nap, take a listen to colleagues’ strategies for finding silver linings and Zen moments."

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Residents of East Tacoma, Washington, line up to use a public phone booth, circa 1943. Image courtesy of Tacoma Public Library Online Digital Collections. As we leave 2020 behind us, Archives In Context begins 2021 on a hopeful note. In this special episode focused on archivists and archival work during COVID-19, we hear from you!...

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Nevada State Library, Archives & Public Records 10-Minute Wellness Webinars

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Nevada State Library, Archives & Public Records 10-Minute Wellness Webinars

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On the first three Tuesdays in July, August and September, the mental wellness theme will be led by a subject-matter expert and/or mental health professional  to include a 10-15 minute presentation followed by a 10 minute question and answer session. These webinar ‘shorts’ and the Q & A are saved herein. For each recorded webinar, additional resources will be available and titled “From the Expert," including two articles for further reading and a discussion guide designed to help you facilitate key points with your teams and/or families an absorb best practices to promote well-being and greater ease.

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An Investigation of Factors Impacting the Wellness of Academic Library Employees

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An Investigation of Factors Impacting the Wellness of Academic Library Employees

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Journal Article from The Association of College and Research Libraries.

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The term "wellness" is fast garnering attention on how it affects one's professional and personal life. This study explores the multi-dimensions of wellness and investigates factors that might impact the "wellness" of employees in academic libraries. The research topic was addressed through quantitative analyses of responses to multiple choice, ranking and qualitative analyses of responses to open-ended items. With a total of 1123 respondents, key findings include: there are statistical relationships between how respondents characterize themselves and how often they felt overwhelmed; the respondents' age and how often they felt overwhelmed; the respondents' age and how important they feel eating healthy is; the respondents' current position and how important is being optimistic is to them.

Introduction

Feeling stressed or overwhelmed at work could negatively affect an individual's job satisfaction1 and general well-being, and could in turn negatively affect the organization. As workers' health and general well-being suffer, companies have to spend more money on insurance premiums, which could then negatively impact their revenue and potentially lead to layoffs or even bankruptcies. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), work stress costs American businesses over $300 billion a year.2 Therefore, "wellness" as a concept is garnering attention in the workplace.

Many employers are providing wellness support to their employees as means for combating illness-related loss of productivity due either to absenteeism or to reduced productivity while at work (presenteeism). 3 These efforts comprise workplace wellness programs that focus primarily on the prevention of chronic disease, such as lifestyle risk factors and lifestyle management, and secondarily on improving disease control. Furthermore, "workplace wellness programs are a primary component of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or healthcare reform law commonly referred to as the ACA. The ACA allows employers to reward workers who participate in wellness programs, and penalize those who refuse, with discounts or increases of as much as 30 percent of their insurance costs." 4 As a result, many of the workplace wellness programs tend to focus on nutrition and weight management activities as well as smoking cessation programs,5 as the benefits of health-focused wellness programs are more quantifiable in the balance sheets. Higher education institutions and, to a lesser degree, academic libraries are following this trend of workplace wellness programs.

The authors posit that, while physical wellness is an important aspect of a person's overall well-being, other dimensions of wellness are equally important and necessary and should not be neglected. The purpose of this research is to examine the following 1) whether library employees are feeling overwhelmed; 2) if so, what are the possible causes? 3) what actions are they taking to relieve the feeling? and 4) how much do library employees value the different dimensions of wellness and their behavior in achieving wellness in the different dimensions?

Literature Review

Workplace Wellness

Workplace wellness as a concept has been in existence since the 1970s. It was a movement of a gradual shift of healthcare responsibilities from the government and the healthcare industry to the employers and consumers.6 Even though it was generally acknowledged that wellness was a multidimensional concept,7 workplace wellness was primarily focused on health promotion, with the belief that health and fitness were the means to achieving overall wellness. This outlook of overall well-being could be traced back to some of the potential reasons for the development of worksite wellness programs in the first place. The occupational safety and health (OSH) movement in the 1970s and the worksite health promotion movement (WHP) were cited as two reasons for the appearance of workplace wellness programs; these were meant to counter the deficiency in the healthcare system at the time.8 During this period, as research began to show the cost of unhealthy employee behaviors, a cultural shift about physical fitness contributed to the creation of workplace wellness programs.9 Health and fitness programs can benefit organizations in many financial and nonfinancial ways, such as reduced absenteeism, improved morale, lower insurance premium, increased productivity, reduced turnover, increased public relations, and more.10 However, subsequent evaluation of such programs over several years strongly suggested that simply focusing on healthy working conditions and general health education were not adequate to achieving a well life.11 So trends developed to build more comprehensive programs directed at changing the employee's "lifestyle." Such a change required personal motivation in addition to education. Ultimately, the wisdom went, a healthier lifestyle would lead to a higher quality of life, which would then translate to higher employee performance.

Stress and Wellness in the Library Workplace

According to psychologist Saqib Saddiq, working in a library is more stressful than being a firefighter or a policeman.12 His 2006 study surveyed 300 people from five occupations (firefighters, police officers, train operators, teachers, and librarians). Presented at a society conference in Glasgow, his data revealed that "librarians complained that there was not enough variety in their work, they did not have enough control over their careers, and they were not allowed to put their skills to full use. This lack of job satisfaction meant that they were more apt to be absent from work, or to be frustrated with their outside of work relationships."13 In the decade since his study, the job responsibilities of library workers have changed dramatically, and the 2006 stressors might not be as prominent for 2016 library workers. Another study, conducted in 2008/2009 in the United Kingdom, investigated workplace stress in a further education college library service. "Librarians reported that interaction with students can be stressful or enjoyable, depending on context. The need to control noise levels, modify student behaviour and balance the needs of different user groups are cited as stressors."14 Another recent study surveyed librarians to identify possible stressors such as role ambiguity, role overload, perceived stress, burnout, life satisfaction, work withdrawal, and health conditions. The findings of the study showed that academic librarians largely reported role ambiguity and role overload as common stressors in the profession.15 The authors of that study defined "role ambiguity" as stemming from "unclear expectations about specific job-related responsibilities" and "role overload" as the perception of a job to be excessively demanding with the requirement to work harder, longer, and/or faster.

Wellness in academic libraries has been discussed in literature as an additional service that libraries can provide to their users. Some academic libraries have embraced the idea of wellness as a user service and outreach strategy in part because of their close connection to student life and student success on campus. Hinchliffe and Wong discuss using a "wellness wheel" approach for shifting an academic library's services to an integrative learning and student-centered endeavor. Possible ways of adopting a "wellness wheel" approach include partnering with other campus departments to bring wellness services into the library, developing collections to support a lay understanding of different wellness concepts, and creating wellness-related outreach focused on high-stress times in the academic calendar, such as finals week.16 Mills and Lodge suggest that information professionals use the concepts of Emotional Intelligence and an understanding of the information environment to create positive librarian-user interactions.17

However, when addressing wellness in the work of academic library workers, few studies have been published that holistically examine the ways workers, from students to top-level administration, view workplace wellness at their organization and that examine their own wellness beliefs and habits. One example of such a study focuses on the job satisfaction of professional and paraprofessional library staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study notes that differences in levels of satisfaction largely suggest that academic library professionals are more satisfied than their paraprofessional counterparts in the areas of work enjoyment, coworkers, promotion, pay, and overall satisfaction.18

Dimensions of Wellness

Traditionally, the concept of wellness is viewed from two perspectives. The "clinical tradition" focuses on dealing with depression, anxiety, and stress, while the "psychological tradition" is about life satisfaction.19 Dr. Bill Hettler followed the "psychological tradition" of wellness and created a model of an "active process through which the individual becomes aware of and makes choices toward a more successful existence."20 He maintained that "wellness" could be divided into 6 basic dimensions:

1. Intellectual wellness measures the degree to which one engages his or her mind in creative, stimulating mental activities. An intellectually well person uses the resources available to expand his or her knowledge in improved skills, along with expanding potential for sharing with others.

2. Emotional wellness measures the degree to which one has an awareness and acceptance for one's feelings. This includes the degree to which one feels positive and enthusiastic about oneself and life. It measures the capacity to appropriately control one's feelings and related behavior, including the realistic assessment of one's limitations.

3. Physical wellness measures the degree to which one maintains cardiovascular flexibility and strength; the behaviors that help one to prevent and detect early illnesses; and the degree to which one chooses foods that are consistent with the dietary goals as prescribed by physicians and nutritionists.

4. Social wellness measures the degree to which one contributes to the common welfare of one's community.

5. Occupational wellness measures the satisfaction gained from one's work and the degree to which one is enriched by that work.

6. Spiritual wellness measures one's ongoing involvement in seeking meaning and purpose in human existence. It includes a deep appreciation for the depth and expanse of life and natural forces that exist in the universe.21

For this study, the concept of "wellness" will refer to this multifaceted definition of holistic wellness that focuses beyond the scope of physical health and illness prevention.

Methods

Participants

To reach a range of academic library employees, the survey was distributed to the e-mail lists and Facebook pages listed in appendix A. The invitation included an explanation of the survey, a statement of the goal of the project, and a hyperlink to the survey. The survey (see appendix B), which was administered through Qualtrics, included a consent form and 20 questions consisting of a mix of multiple choice, ranking, yes/no, and open-ended questions. Upon completion of the survey, participants were presented with a message thanking them for their time. The survey was active between January 17 and February 13, 2015. Of the 1,123 total respondents, 906 fully completed the survey. Participation in the survey was voluntary. As an incentive for completing the survey, participants were presented with the option to enter a drawing for one of two $25 Amazon gift cards (provided out of personal funds of the co-investigators). Only respondents who chose to record their e-mail addresses in the survey were entered into the drawing. To protect respondents' confidentiality, all identifying information was stripped from responses before analysis, leaving no way to tie responses to a particular e-mail address. All other responses were completely anonymous. The survey instrument was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of University of Alabama, which was one of the researchers' institutions at the time of survey distribution.

Survey Design

The survey questionnaire began with a screening question that required respondents to indicate the type of library in which they worked. Respondents who do not work at academic libraries are directed to a thank-you message and the end of the survey. The research design of this study was nonexperimental. It sought to examine the correlational relationships of library employees' perceptions of wellness and their behavior contributing toward their well-being, as well as their outlook on life and demographic characteristics (such as age, gender, position in their organization, and the size of their libraries). An additional aim of the survey was to explore library employees' views of the role of academic libraries in promoting and providing wellness support to users and to explore some of the workplace wellness programs provided to the respondents. These data and results will be presented in a separate paper. The focus of this paper is on analyzing library employees' perception of wellness and their behavioral and perceptional aspects of the survey data.

Results

The research objective of this study was to investigate 1) whether library employees are feeling overwhelmed; 2) If so, what are the possible causes? What actions are they taking to relieve the feeling? and 3) How much do library employees value the different dimensions of wellness and their behavior in achieving wellness in the different dimensions?

The survey begins with a screening question asking respondents to indicate what types of libraries they worked at. A total of 1,098 individuals responded. Respondents who selected "nonacademic" (n = 2) were directed to the end of the survey. Of the remaining respondents, 75 percent (n = 819) selected "four-year academic library", 11 percent (n = 126) selected "two-year academic," and 14 percent (n = 151) selected the "other academic library" option. This distribution is shown in figure 1.

The survey identified respondents' current positions at their libraries. Of the 974 individuals who responded to this question, 72 percent (n = 697) indicated that they were in Professional Librarian positions, which was by far the largest group, followed by Administration (16%; n = 151), and Support Staff (10%; n = 96). A small percentage, 1 percent (n = 11) were Student Employees.

Respondents were also asked to indicate their gender and age. Of the 969 responses, 13 percent were Male (n = 128), and 87 percent were Female (n = 841); 4 percent were 25 years old and under (n = 34), 33 percent were between 26 and 35 years old (n = 317), 24 percent were between 36 and 45 years old (n = 235), 19 percent were between 46 and 55 years old (n = 180), and 21 percent were 56 years old and over (n = 203). This distribution of respondents' age is shown in figure 2.

Respondents were asked to indicate how long they have worked in libraries. Of the 972 responses, 3 percent (n = 28) indicated less than 1 year. A total of 26 percent (n = 254) replied that they have worked in libraries between 1 and 5 years; 21 percent (n = 207) have worked 6-10 years; and 14 percent (n = 136) have worked 11-15 years. Finally, 36 percent (n = 347) have worked more than 15 years.

The survey asked respondents to indicate how optimistic or pessimistic they would characterize themselves. Out of 1,085 responses, only 1 percent (n = 8) characterize themselves as "very pessimistic," while a much larger percentage of the respondents (18%; n = 199) characterized themselves as "very optimistic." Seventeen percent (n = 180) characterized themselves as "somewhat pessimistic," and a similar percentage of people (14%; n = 154) saw themselves as "neither pessimistic nor optimistic." The largest group of respondents (50%; n = 544) saw themselves as "somewhat optimistic." This distribution is shown in figure 3.

Respondents were asked how often they felt overwhelmed in the past 6 months. Out of 1,081 responses, the largest percentage (48%; n = 524) answered "sometimes," followed by "frequently" (34%; n = 370). Four percent (n = 45) reported that they always felt overwhelmed, while 12 percent (n = 129) rarely felt overwhelmed, and 1 percent (n = 13) never felt overwhelmed in the past 6 months. This distribution is shown in figure 4.

The survey then asked respondents to rank which of the following (Health, Family, Work, Life Fulfillment, Finance, and Other) typically overwhelmed them the most ("1" being the most overwhelming, and "6" being the least overwhelming). There were 1,003 responses to this question, and the largest number of respondents selected "Work" as the number one most overwhelming aspect (n = 455). A low mean value (0-6) indicates higher rankings of the aspect overall. "Work" has a mean value of 2.12, which is noticeably lower than all the other aspects ("Finance" = 3.11; "Family" = 3.11; "Life Fulfillment" = 3.45; "Health" = 3.49; and "Other" = 5.71).

Respondents were asked what they tend to do when they feel overwhelmed. A list of 22 choices were given, and the respondents were asked to select all that applied. A total of 1,035 respondents replied to this question. The number one answer was "Eat More" (49%; n = 506), followed closely by "Avoid Social Interactions" (47%; n = 491), and "Watch TV/Movies" (44%; n = 460). "Eat Less Healthy (40%; n = 418) and "Sleep Less" (40%; n = 416) rounded up the top five responses. At the other end of the responses, answers with the fewest selection were mostly contradictory activities to the top five choices; they were therefore consistent with their overall results. The bottom five answers were "Smoke More" (2%; n = 23), "Eat Healthier" (3%; n = 35), "Eat Less (7%; n = 74), "Socialize with Others" (7%; n = 75), and Meditate (9%; n = 95). This distribution is shown in figure 5.

Next the researchers were interested in determining the importance of each wellness dimension to the respondents. The choices were: 1) Eating healthy (physical wellness); 2) Exercising regularly (physical wellness); 3) Pursuing continuing education for my career (occupational wellness); 4) Giving (social wellness); 5) Living consistently with my values and beliefs (spiritual wellness); 6) Being optimistic (emotional wellness); and 7) Challenging my mind with intellectual and creative pursuit (intellectual wellness).

Respondents were given five choices from "Very Important" (value = 5) to "Not Very Important" (value = 1). The middle three values were "Somewhat Important" (value = 2), "Moderately Important" (value = 3), and "Important" (value = 4). As there is not negative importance, the authors used a unipolar five-point scale. The choices were presented at the top of a matrix table with increasing values from left to right. The endpoints of the response scale were maximally differentiated. The authors adhered to the common Likert scale practice of assigning "somewhat important" a lower value than "moderately important."22

A high mean value indicates respondents consider the activity important. Out of the seven activities, "Living consistently with my values and beliefs" has the highest mean value (4.19), followed closely by "Challenging my mind with intellectual and creative pursuit" (4.14) and "Eating healthy" (4.08). The activity with the lowest mean value is "Pursuing continuing education for my career" (3.38). The full table is shown in figure 6.

When comparing what respondents considered important with how often respondents engage in those activities, the results are consistent. When asked how frequently they engage in these activities, respondents were given five choices from "A great deal" (value = 5) to "Not at all" (value = 1). The middle three values were "Quite a bit" (value = 4), "Somewhat" (value = 3), and "Very little" (value = 2). As there is not negative frequency, the authors used a unipolar five-point scale. The choices were presented at the top of a matrix table with increasing values from left to right. The endpoints of the response scale are maximally differentiated. The authors adhered to the common Likert scale practice of assigning "Quite a bit" a lower value than "A great deal."23

A higher mean value indicates that respondents engage more frequently in the activity. Out of the seven activities, "Living consistently with my values and beliefs" has the highest mean value (3.98), followed closely by "Eating healthy" (3.83), and "Challenging my mind with intellectual and creative pursuit" (3.75). The activity with the lowest mean value is Giving (such as contribute to the common welfare of our community, live in harmony with others; donating time, money, talent; practicing kindness) (3.18). This distribution is shown in figure 7.

Analysis of Data and Discussions

Chi-square statistical analysis shows that there is a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (20, N = 976) = 0.01, P = .05) between how many hours respondents worked in a typical week and the number of full-time employees working in the respondent's library building. Respondents who work in libraries with a higher number of employees tend to work more hours in a typical week. While not captured in this study, a possible explanation could be that libraries with a higher number of employees are likely to be serving larger user populations, and therefore require more staff power to operate. With the trend of library budgets being stagnant or decreasing in recent years, it is very possible that larger libraries, even with a higher number of staff and librarians, are still short staffed, which results in their employees working longer hours on average. Chi-square statistical analysis shows that there is a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (20, N = 1081) = 0.00, P = .05) between how many hours respondents work in a typical week and how often they felt overwhelmed in the last 6 months. Respondents who work "51-60 hours" or "60 hours or more" tend to feel overwhelmed much more frequently than respondents who work fewer hours in a typical week, including those who work a more "regular" schedule of 31-40 hours per week.

This could mean that library employees in larger libraries are more prone to feeling overwhelmed.

Chi-square statistical analysis shows that there is no statistically significant relationship ( X2 (4, N = 969) = 0.29, P = .05) between gender and how respondents characterize themselves (as optimistic or pessimistic); nor is there a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (4, N = 969) = 0.74, P = .05) between gender and how many hours respondents work in a typical week. However, Chi-square statistical analysis shows that there is a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (4, N = 969) = 0.00, P = .05) between gender and how often respondents felt overwhelmed in the last 6 months.

Female respondents tend to be more frequently overwhelmed in the past 6 months than male respondents. According to the survey on Stress and Gender24 from the American Psychological Association (APA), "women are more likely than men to report that their stress levels are on the rise. They are also much more likely than men to report physical and emotional symptoms of stress." In APA's data, "Almost half of all women (49 percent) surveyed said their stress has increased over the past five years, compared to four in 10 (39 percent) men." The difference of the percentage is similar to the finding on academic library employees.

Chi-square statistical analysis shows that there is a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (16, N = 1079) = 0.00, P = .05) between how the respondents characterize themselves and how often they felt overwhelmed in the last 6 months. The pattern suggests that the more optimistic respondents tend to feel overwhelmed less frequently than the pessimistic respondents.

While this finding could suggest that a positive attitude could have a positive effect on countering stress or feeling overwhelmed, it is also possible that respondents were more optimistic because they felt less stress in their work or in general.

Chi-square statistical analysis also shows that there is a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (16, N = 969) = 0.02, P = .05) between respondents' ages and how often they felt overwhelmed in the last 6 months. The pattern indicates that respondents "56 years and older" tend to feel overwhelmed less frequently than respondents in the "26-35" and "36-45" age ranges. There is also a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (16, N = 969) = 0.00, P = .05) between respondents' ages and how they characterize themselves. Respondents in the "26-35" and "36-45" age groups tend to be more pessimistic overall than the other age groups.

There is a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (20, N = 969) = 0.00, P = .05) between respondents' ages and how many hours they spend on work in a typical week. However, even though a higher percentage of respondents "56 years old and over" work more than 41 hours a week than the other age groups, the group as a whole felt overwhelmed less frequently than the younger groups. These two findings are also consistent with the online survey of 2,020 U.S. adults, conducted in 2013 by Harris Interactive for APA, which finds that the Millennials generation (aged 18-33) reported higher than average stress. The APA survey finds that 19 percent of Millennials have been told they have depression, compared with 14 percent of Generation Xers (ages 34-47); 12 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 48-66) and 11 percent of those ages 67 and older.25

These relationships could suggest several possible causes:

1. Respondents work longer hours because their workload is heavier than others and need more time to complete their work. Respondents who are younger might be more aggressive in taking on more work, as they are either at the beginning or the prime of their careers. A higher workload is therefore the main cause of their feeling overwhelmed. This reasoning could also explain why the oldest group, who worked longer hours than other groups, did not feel overwhelmed as frequently as some other groups.

2. Respondents work longer hours because they are not as productive as others and find it difficult to complete their work in the regular work hours; therefore, they have to work longer hours. Younger respondents might be less proficient in their work at the earlier stages of their career and are still learning. They feel overwhelmed because of their lack of competency. Applied to the oldest group, who might possibly be the most experienced, this reasoning could also explain why they did not feel overwhelmed as often.

3. Respondents work longer hours because they feel obligated to be at work or doing work outside regular work hours. Younger respondents who are at earlier stages of their career might want to impress their supervisors by working longer hours. The perception of obligation is therefore the main cause of feeling overwhelmed in this scenario. Future studies could ask more in-depth questions on causes of respondents feeling overwhelmed.

In terms of how respondents value the different dimensions of wellness, Chi-square statistical analysis shows that there is a statistically significant relationship ( X2 (16, N = 969) = 0.03, P = .05) between respondents' ages and how important is "Eating Healthy" (physical wellness) to them. A much higher percentage of respondents in the "56 and over" age group viewed it as "very important" than other age groups, while the two youngest age groups (25 and under, and 26-35) have the lowest percentage of respondents selecting "very important" as their answers. However, there is no statistically significant relationship ( X2 (16, N = 963) = 0.22, P = .05) between respondents' ages and how frequently they engage in "Eating Healthy." As people age, it makes sense to be more aware of the importance of a healthy diet. However, since there is no statistically significant relationship between respondents' ages and how frequently they actually eat healthy, it could be said that simply having the awareness of the importance of a healthy diet does not necessarily translate to the behavior of eating healthy.

There are also significant statistical relationships between age and "Pursuing continuing education for my career" ( X2 (16, N = 969) = 0.00, P = .05); "Giving" ( X2 (16, N = 969) = 0.00, P = .05); "Being Optimistic" ( X2 (16, N = 966) = 0.00, P = .05). The younger respondents tend to place more importance on pursuing continued education for their career than their older colleagues, which makes sense as the younger respondents are likely to be in the growth period of their careers. Respondents in the "26-35" and "36-45" age groups have the lowest percentage of people selecting "Very Important" for "Giving." The same two age groups also tend to place less importance in "Being Optimistic." One interpretation of this finding is that the age groups might not have the financial security to allow them to "give" at this stage of their lives. From starting and/or raising families, to possibly not commanding high salaries at this stage of their lives, it is also understandable to not feeling optimistic or placing a lot of importance on the giving dimension of wellness.

Conclusions and Future Directions

This study reveals that most academic library employees feel overwhelmed quite frequently. While age and working overtime are factors, the attitude of the individual also has an impact. Work is the number one cause of respondents feeling overwhelmed. When respondents felt overwhelmed, they tended to "Eat More," "Avoid Social Interactions," "Watch TV/Movies," "Eat Less Healthy," and "Sleep Less." Age again seems to be an important factor regarding respondents' perception of the different dimensions of wellness. It could be argued that people in different stages of their lives place different values on the different dimensions of wellness. For example, younger respondents tend to value continuing education more than their older counterparts do, and the older respondents place more importance on eating healthy than their younger colleagues do. Overall, respondents placed higher importance on their spiritual wellness and intellectual wellness than physical wellness.

Further research into what affects academic library employee wellness can include an examination of the different types of academic libraries. Does the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (that is, Research University versus community college) have an impact on perceptions and attitudes toward wellness? For Professional Librarians, does faculty status (tenure vs. non-tenure track) or academic professional/staff status have an impact on wellness? What relationship does the student to librarian or student to library worker ratio have on academic library employee wellness? Additional investigation of this nature could prove valuable for academic libraries and institutions of Higher Education as employers to develop programs and policies to support employee wellness.

As this study suggests, library employees value more than just the physical aspect of wellness. The next step for the researchers will be to explore the potential of workplace wellness programs that cater to multiple dimensions of wellness by analyzing the data collected in the survey on the types of workplace wellness programs offered by the respondents' employers and the types of workplace wellness programs respondents would personally be interested in. Additional research would need to be conducted on workplace wellness efforts in both libraries and other industries that extend benefiting employees beyond physical wellness. The results of this study are important to academic libraries because they show that simply focusing on the physical aspect of wellness may not be the most effective way to support library employees. With the knowledge that library employees highly value living consistently with their values and beliefs, libraries could positively affect their employees' spiritual wellness by creating shared visions, paying attention to their motivation, personal life vision, and career goals. In addition, library employees value challenging their minds with intellectual and creative pursuits. Libraries could provide suitable professional development opportunities and support to help positively affect intellectual wellness as well.

Bibliography

Ardell, D.B. "The History and Future of Wellness." Health Values 9, no. 6 (1985): 37-56.

Beehr, Terry A. "Perceived Situational Moderators of the Relationship between Subjective Role

Ambiguity and Role Strain." Journal of Applied Psychology 61, no. 1 (1976): 35-40. doi:10.1037//0021-9010.61.1.35.

Benjamin, Michael. "The Quality of Student Life: Toward a Coherent Conceptualization." Social Indicators Research 31, no. 3 (1994): 205-64. doi: 10.1007/bf 01078209.

Dejoy, M., and J. Southern. "An Integrative Perspective on Work-site Health Promotion." Journal of Occupational Medicine 35, no. 12 (1993): 1221-29.

Farrell, A., and P. Geist-Martin. "Communicating Social Health: Perceptions of Wellness at Work." Management Communication Quarterly 18, no. 4 (2005): 543-92.

Greiner, P.A. "Nursing and Worksite Wellness: Missing the Boat." Holistic Nursing Practice 2, no. 1 (1987): 53-60.

Hattie, John A., Jane E. Myers, and Thomas J. Sweeney. "A Factor Structure of Wellness: Theory, Assessment, Analysis, and Practice." Journal of Counseling and Development 82, no. 3 (2004): 354.

Hermon, David A., and Richard J. Hazler. "Adherence to a Wellness Model and Perceptions of Psychological Well-Being." Journal of Counseling & Development 77, no. 3 (1999): 339-43. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.1999.tb 02457.x.

Hettler, Bill. "Wellness Promotion on a University Campus." Family & Community Health 3, no. 1 (1980): 77-95.

Hinchliffe, Lisa J., and Melissa A. Wong. "From Services-Centered to Student-Centered: A 'Wellness Wheel' Approach to Developing the Library as an Integrative Learning Commons." College & Undergraduate Libraries 17, no. 2/3 (2010): 213-24.

Jarvis, Cheryl Burke, Scott B. Mackenzie, and Philip M. Podsakoff. "A Critical Review of Construct Indicators and Measurement Model Misspecification in Marketing and Consumer Research." Journal of Consumer Research 30, no. 2 (2003): 199-218. doi:10.1086/376806.

Johnson, Thomas W., and John E. Stinson. "Role Ambiguity, Role Conflict, and Satisfaction: Moderating Effects of Individual Differences." Journal of Applied Psychology 60, no. 3 (1975): 329-33. doi:10.1037/h0076752.

"Librarians 'Suffer Most Stress'." BBC News (January 12, 2006). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/4605476.stm.

Mattke, Soeren, et al. (2013). Workplace Wellness Programs Study. www.nexgenhce.com/images/RAND_Wellness_Study_-_May_2013.pdf.

Mills, John, and Damian Lodge. "Affect, Emotional Intelligence and Librarian-User Interaction." Library Review 55, no. 9 (2006): 587-97.

Murray, Richard A. "Job Satisfaction of Professional and Paraprofessional Library Staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill" (master's thesis). Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1999.

O'Donnell, Michael P., and Thomas H. Ainsworth. Health Promotion in the Workplace. New York: J. Wiley, 1984.

Reardon, J. "The History and Impact of Worksite Wellness." Nursing Economics 16, no. 3 (1998): 117-21.

Shupe, Ellen I., Stephanie K. Wambaugh, and Reed J. Bramble. "Role-related Stress Experienced by Academic Librarians." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 41, no. 3 (2015): 264-69.

"Stress and Gender." American Psychological Association. www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2010/gender-stress.pdf.

"Stress at the Workplace." WHO. www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/stressatwp/en/.

Topper, E.F. "Stress in the Library Workplace." New Library World 108, no. 11 (2007): 561. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03074800710838290.

Tulloch, Judith W., R.N., M.S., and Christine C. Healy, R.N., M.S. "Changing Lifestyles: A Wellness Approach." Occupational Health Nursing 30, no. 6 (1982): 13-21, 45. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1013441719?accountid=14472.

"Typical Survey Response Scales." Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) (April 2013). www.stlhe.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Survey-Response-Scales.pdf.

Westgate, Charlene E. "Spiritual Wellness and Depression." Journal of Counseling & Development 75, no. 1 (September 1996): 26-35.

Zula, Ken. "Workplace Wellness Programs: A Comparison between Best Practice Guidelines and Implementation." JABR Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR) 30, no. 3 (2014): 783. doi:10.19030/jabr.v30i3.8564.

Appendix A.

E-mail listservs:

1. COLLIB-L@lists.ala.org (ACRL's College Libraries section)

2. rusa-l@lists.ala.org (Reference & User Services Association)

3. scholcomm@lists.ala.org (ACRL Scholarly Communication)

4. uls-l@lists.ala.org (ACRL's University Libraries section)

5. nmrt-l@lists.ala.org (ALA New Members Round Table Discussion Listserv)

6. acr-igts@lists.ala.org (ACRL Technical Services Interest Group)

7. acrlassessdg@lists.ala.org (ACRL Assessment Discussion Group)

8. nps-l@lists.ala.org (LLAMA NPS Discussion List)

9. libadmin@lists.ala.org (LLAMA Administrator List)

10. Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) listserv

11. APALA-L@lsv.uky.edu (Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association [APALA] listserv)

Facebook pages:

1. ALA Think Tank

2. University Libraries Section of ACRL

3. New Members Round Table

4. Lifting Librarians

Appendix B. Work/Life Survey for Academic Librarians

Q1 Work/Life Survey for Academic Libraries

Overview: We are conducting this survey to learn more about the perceptions and behaviors of people who work academic libraries in the concept of work/life quality and wellness. If you decide to participate, you will take a survey that should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Incentive for Participation: The survey provides you the option to provide your e-mail address to enter a drawing for one of two $25 Amazon gift certificates.

Discomfort/Risks: There are no anticipated risks of participating in this study beyond what you would encounter in everyday life. Please feel free to skip any items that you feel are objectionable or that make you feel uncomfortable. You may also stop your participation in the study at any time.

Confidentiality: The researchers may publish the results of the study. If they do, they will only discuss group results. Your name and/or e-mail will not be used in any publication or presentation about the study.

Contact: If you have any questions or concerns about this study, you can contact us at: Leo Lo at leolo@ua.edu or Bethany Tschaepe at tschaepeb@uhd.edu. You are under no obligation to participate in this study.

Clicking the "Next" button below indicates that: you have read the information provided above (or have had someone read the information to you); you are aware that this is a research study; you have voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. You may print this page as your copy of the Consent Form or contact us to have a copy of the Consent Form e-mailed to you.

Q2 At which type of institution do you work?

2-year academic (1)

4-year academic (2)

Other academic (3) ____________________

Non-academic (4)

If Nonacademic Is Selected, Then Skip to: At this time we are focusing on acade...

Q37 How would you characterize yourself?

Q34 In a typical week, how many hours do you spend on work?

Q5 In the last 6 months, how often did you feel overwhelmed?

Q35 What typically overwhelms you? Please rank by arranging the following options (1 being the most overwhelming)

______ Health (1)

______ Family (2)

______ Work (3)

______ Life fulfillment (4)

______ Finance (5)

______ Other (6)

Q4 When I feel overwhelmed. I tend to (check all that apply):

Exercise more (1)

Eat more (2)

Consume more caffeine than usual (3)

Meditate (4)

Sleep more (5)

Sleep less (6)

Exercise less (7)

Drink more alcohol than usual (8)

Spend compulsively (9)

Smoke more (10)

Talk it out (11)

Eat less (12)

Eat healthier (13)

Eat less healthy (14)

Pray (15)

Socialize with others (16)

Avoid social interactions (17)

Listen to music (19)

Watch TV/movies (20)

Work more (21)

Work less (22)

Other (18) ____________________

Q26 How important are these activities to you?

Q29 How frequently do you engage in these activities?

Q8 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding your workplace?

Q6 Does your workplace offer any wellness programs for employees?

Yes, both my library and my institution offer wellness programs for employees (1)

Yes, only my institution offers wellness programs for employees (2)

Yes, only my library offers wellness programs for employees (3)

No, neither my library nor my institution offers wellness programs for employees (4)

Answer: If Does your workplace offer any wellness programs for employees? Yes, both my library and my institution offer wellness programs for employees Is Selected Or Does your workplace offer any wellness programs for employees? Yes, only my library offers wellness programs for employees Is Selected

Q7 What type of wellness program does your library offer for employees?

Answer: If Does your workplace offer any wellness programs for employees? Yes, both my library and my institution offer wellness programs for employees Is Selected Or Does your workplace offer any wellness programs for employees? Yes, only my institution offers wellness programs for employees Is Selected

Q36 What type of wellness program does your institution offer for employees?

Q19 What type of wellness program would you personally be interested in?

Q10 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Q21 What is your current position?

Q33 How many full-time library employees work in the library building where you work? If you are not certain, please estimate.

Q26 What is your gender?

Q27 What is your age?

Q39 How long have you worked in libraries?

Q30 If you would like to be entered in a drawing for one of two $25 Amazon Gift Certificates, please provide your e-mail address in the box below.

Q32 Thank you for completing our survey! We plan to share the results of this survey with librarians through conference presentations and/or publications. If you have any questions or additional comments about the survey or if you would like to request a copy of the results or be informed about presentations or publications based on the results, please contact any of the following individuals: Leo Lo at leolo@ua.edu, Bethany Tschaepe at tschaepeb@uhd.edu.

If Thank you for completing ou... Is Displayed, Then Skip to End of Survey

Q31 At this time we are focusing on academic 2-year and 4-year institutions! We plan to share the results of this survey with librarians through conference presentations and/or publications. If you have any questions or additional comments about the survey or if you would like to request a copy of the results or be informed about presentations or publications based on the results, please contact any of the following individuals: Leo Lo at leolo@ua.edu, Bethany Tschaepe at tschaepeb@uhd.edu.

If At this time we are focusin... Is Displayed, Then Skip to End of Survey

Notes

1. Terry A. Beehr, "Perceived Situational Moderators of the Relationship between Subjective Role Ambiguity and Role Strain," Journal of Applied Psychology 61, no. 1 (1976): 35-40, doi:10.1037//0021-9010.61.1.35; Thomas W. Johnson and John E. Stinson, "Role Ambiguity, Role Conflict, and Satisfaction: Moderating Effects of Individual Differences," Journal of Applied Psychology 60, no. 3 (1975): 329-33, doi:10.1037/h0076752.

2."Stress at the Workplace," WHO, available online at www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/stressatwp/en/ [accessed 5 May 2016].

3. J. Reardon, "The History and Impact of Worksite Wellness," Nursing Economics 16, no. 3 (1998): 117-21, available online at CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCO host [accessed 1 May 2016].

4. Ken Zula, "Workplace Wellness Programs: A Comparison between Best Practice Guidelines and Implementation," JABR Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR) 30, no. 3 (2014): 783. doi:10.19030/jabr.v30i3.8564.

5. Soeren Mattke et al., Workplace Wellness Programs Study (2013), available online at www.nexgenhce.com/images/RAND_Wellness_Study_-_May_2013.pdf [accessed 9 May 2016].

6. Reardon, "The History and Impact of Worksite Wellness."

7. David A. Hermon and Richard J. Hazler, "Adherence to a Wellness Model and Perceptions of Psychological Well-Being," Journal of Counseling & Development 77, no. 3 (1999): 339-43, doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.1999.tb02457.x; D.B. Ardell, "The History and Future of Wellness," Health Values 9, no. 6 (1985): 37-56; Michael Benjamin, "The Quality of Student Life: Toward a Coherent Conceptualization," Social Indicators Research 31, no. 3 (1994): 205-64, doi: 10.1007/bf01078209.

8. M. Dejoy and J. Southern, "An Integrative Perspective on Work-site Health Promotion," Journal of Occupational Medicine 35, no. 12 (1993): 1221-29.

9. P.A. Greiner, "Nursing and Worksite Wellness: Missing the Boat," Holistic Nursing Practice 2, no. 1 (1987): 53-60, available online at CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCO host [accessed 1 May 2016].

10. Michael P. O'Donnell and Thomas H. Ainsworth, Health Promotion in the Workplace (New York: J. Wiley, 1984).

11. Judith W. Tulloch and Christine C. Healy, "Changing Lifestyles: A Wellness Approach," Occupational Health Nursing 30, no. 6 (1982): 13-21, 45, available online at http://search.proquest.com/docview/1013441719?accountid=14472 [accessed 9 May 2016]; Charlene E. Westgate, "Spiritual Wellness and Depression," Journal of Counseling & Development 30, no. 3 (Sept. 1996): 26-35, available online at Business Source Complete, EBSCO host [accessed 9 May 2016]; A. Farrell and P. Geist-Martin, "Communicating Social Health: Perceptions of Wellness at Work," Management Communication Quarterly: McQ 18, no. 4 (2005): 543-92, available online at http://search.proquest.com/docview/216340706?accountid=14472 [accessed 9 May 2016].

12. "Librarians 'Suffer Most Stress'," BBC News (Jan. 12, 2006), available online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/4605476.stm [accessed 9 May 2016].

13. E.F. Topper, "Stress in the Library Workplace," New Library World108, no. 11 (2007): 561, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03074800710838290.

14. L. Farler and J. Broady-Preston, "Workplace Stress in Libraries: A Case Study," Aslib Proceedings 64, no. 3 (2012): 225-40, available online at Science Citation Index, EBSCO host [accessed 9 May 2016].

15. Ellen I. Shupe, Stephanie K. Wambaugh, Reed J. Bramble, "Role-related Stress Experienced by Academic Librarians," Journal of Academic Librarianship 41, no. 3 (2015): 265.

16. Lisa J. Hinchliffe and Melissa A. Wong, "From Services-Centered to Student-Centered: A 'Wellness Wheel' Approach to Developing the Library as an Integrative Learning Commons," College & Undergraduate Libraries 17, no. 2/3 (2010): 219-20.

17. John Mills and Damian Lodge, "Affect, Emotional Intelligence and Librarian-User Interaction," Library Review 55, no. 9 (2006): 588-92.

18. Richard A. Murray, "Job Satisfaction of Professional and Paraprofessional Library Staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill" (master's thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1999).

19. John A. Hattie, Jane E. Myers, and Thomas J. Sweeney, "A Factor Structure of Wellness: Theory, Assessment, Analysis, and Practice," Journal of Counseling and Development 82, no. 3 (2004): 354, available online at ERIC, EBSCOhost [accessed 1 May 2016].

20. Bill Hettler, 1980. "Wellness Promotion on a University Campus," Family & Community Health 3, no. 1 (1980): 77.

21. Hettler, "Wellness Promotion on a University Campus," 77-95.

22. Cheryl Burke Jarvis, Scott B. Mackenzie, and Philip M. Podsakoff, "A Critical Review of Construct Indicators and Measurement Model Misspecification in Marketing and Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research 30, no. 2 (2003): 199-218, doi:10.1086/376806.

23. Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE), "Typical Survey Response Scales" (Apr. 2013), available online at www.stlhe.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Survey-Response-Scales.pdf [accessed 22 June 2016].

24. American Psychological Association, "Stress and Gender," available online at www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2010/gender-stress.pdf [accessed 27 January 2016].

25. American Psychological Association, "Stress in America: Paying with Our Health" (Feb. 4, 2015), available online at www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2014/stress-report.pdf [accessed 27 January 2016].

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
An Investigation of Factors Impacting the Wellness of Academic Library Employees

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The term "wellness" is fast garnering attention on how it affects one's professional and personal life. This study explores the multi-dimensions of wellness and investigates factors that might impact the "wellness" of employees in academic libraries.

# data[].attributes.body
Self Care Resources List from the Concerned Archivists Collective

# data[].attributes.body
C4W is a pilot project that combines conservation, archives and mental health.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Conservation for Wellbeing (C4W) is a pilot project that combines conservation, archives and mental health. As well as practising conservation, participants will gain behind-the-scenes knowledge of how heritage collections are protected and cared for at London Metropolitan Archives.

This is a completely new way of engaging people who live with mental health problems with heritage and creativity. It includes an exhibition and research into the wellbeing outcomes for participants.

C4W uses original archives from St Luke's Hospital in Islington, founded in 1751 to look after mental ill people. The hospital closed in 2011 and the archives were deposited at London Metropolitan Archives by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust.

The project is funded by a grant of £26,400 from the City Bridge Trust.

C4W is run by The Restoration Trust, in partnership with London Metropolitan Archives (LMA), St Mary Abbots Rehabilitation and Training (SMART) and the Institute of Conservation (Icon) with research support from University College London (UCL).
Meeting fortnightly from January to May, a group of 8 people from Kensington and Chelsea who are in contact with St Mary Abbots Rehabilitation and Training (SMART) will learn paper conservation skills from professional conservators. They will exhibit their work at LMA, SMART and other local venues. Outcomes research will be published online and in professional journals.
The Restoration Trust manages the project. The Restoration Trust's innovative culture therapy projects help people with serious mental health problems enjoy heritage, art and culture in a safe, effective and interesting way.

City Bridge Trust funds the project. City Bridge Trust is the funding arm of Bridge House Estates. It was established to make use of funds surplus to bridge requirements and provides grants totalling around £20m per year towards charitable activity benefitting Greater London.

London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) hosts C4W, and participants will learn skills from staff in the Conservation Studio. LMA is committed to making its collections available to as many people as possible. LMA is free to use and open to everyone.

St Mary Abbots Rehabilitation and Training (SMART) supports C4W participants. SMART works closely with the providers of statutory services, such as local community mental health teams and day services in Kensington and Chelsea to develop a more holistic approach to support people with mental health needs.

The Institute of Conservation (Icon) assures C4W quality through its accreditation scheme and oversight. Icon is a membership organisation and charity which brings together those with a passion for the care of cultural heritage. It is the professional body for conservation of cultural heritage.

University College London (UCL) researcher Dr Linda Thomson provides research guidance drawing on her expertise in measuring the wellbeing outcomes of heritage engagement. Art therapist Daisy Rubinstein will carry out the research.
For more information about Conservation for Wellbeing contact Laura Drysdale: laura@restorationtrust.org.uk | 07740844883

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Conservation for Wellbeing (C4W) is a pilot project that combines conservation, archives and mental health. As well as practising conservation, participants will gain behind-the-scenes knowledge of how heritage collections are protected and cared for at London Metropolitan Archives. This is a completely new way of engaging people who live with mental health problems with heritage and creativity.

# data[].attributes.headline
A Holistic Approach to Library Staff Health and Wellness

# data[].attributes.subject
A Holistic Approach to Library Staff Health and Wellness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This is the first in a new WebJunction series by Bobbi Newman, speaker, author and Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist at Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), exploring library staff health and wellness.
I have attempted to start writing this column for almost a year now. Every time I sit down to write, some new Thing happens in the world and writing a column on health and wellness for library staff feels at the same time incredibly important and trivial.

About three years ago, while attending state library conferences, I recognized reoccurring themes - burnout, compassion fatigue, and self-care. Because of my position at the NNLM, I knew I could create presentations and classes addressing these themes that would be freely available to all library staff. I began developing the Wellness in the Library Workplace class. From personal experience, I understood that self-care had grown into a very profitable industry, from paid smartphone apps to $15 bath bombs. I also knew from my work around privacy that many personal practices and workplace programs had serious potential privacy issues, from location data from activity trackers to how health insurance companies might use or misuse data.

We must center our work on health and wellness for library staff with a holistic approach that does not require spending or pose privacy issues. I like this definition of health from the World Health Organization.

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." ¹

Centering health as more than the physical absence of illness opens the way to take a whole-person approach to health. Through this series, we will explore library staffs health and wellness, what libraries can and should do, and what individuals can do. There are a lot of opportunities to learn and strengthen our skills and knowledge around wellness, and I'm looking forward to sharing this column with the library community and learning about your work, too.

The Eight Dimensions of Wellness

The Eight Dimensions of Wellness were developed as part of a wellness initiative by SAMHSA based on Margaret Swarbrick's work. ² Many people think of the substance part of Substance Abuse* and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and miss the mental health part. The eight dimensions are emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, financial, social, environmental, and spiritual. All the dimensions overlap and build upon one another. I like this approach for several reasons. First, it focuses on many aspects that affect our physical and mental health. Second, it works to break down health into elements that can be addressed by individuals and the workplace. For example, environmental wellness on the individual level might include visiting a park or other outdoor space. At the workplace level, it could consists of an ergonomic workspace, clean air, natural light, a view of nature, and green initiatives.

SAMHSA Resources

Watch this brief video, Eight Dimensions of Wellness and read, Creating a Healthier Life: A Step-By-Step Guide to Wellness (pdf) to explore the eight dimensions. We will address them and how we can apply different aspects in both our personal and professional lives in future columns.

BLOSSOM: Free Virtual Symposium

And please join us March 24, 25, and 26, 2021, for BLOSSOM - Building Life-long Opportunities for Strength, Self-Care, Outlook, Morale, and Mindfulness. A free virtual symposium for library staff focused on their health and wellness, from the Network of the National Library of Medicine.

This three-day virtual symposium will bring together experts on morale, invisible services, vocational awe, burnout, and self-care in libraries. The symposium will provide library staff at all levels, including management, with key takeaways to improve library staff's health and wellness. This event is open to all library staff regardless of employment status and to library science students.

Footnotes

[1] "Constitution," World Health Organization, accessed March 4, 2020, https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/constitution.

[2] Swarbrick, M. (2006). A wellness approach. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 29(4), 311-314. https://doi.org/10.2975/29.2006.311.314

*Unfortunately SAMHSA has not updated its name to be less stigmatizing. Substance misuse is the preferred term when discussion addiction. ³

[3] National Institute on Drug Abuse, "Words Matter - Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction," National Institute on Drug Abuse, https://www.drugabuse.gov/nidamed-medical-health-professionals/health-professions-education/words-matter-terms-to-use-avoid-when-talking-about-addiction.

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A Holistic Approach to Library Staff Health and Wellness

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This is the first in a new WebJunction series by Bobbi Newman, speaker, author and Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist at NNLM, exploring library staff health and wellness. I have attempted to start writing this column for almost a year now.

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Redefining Wellness for Librarians of Color

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Redefining Wellness for Librarians of Color

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Through the use of literature review, wellness check prompts, and community practice the participants in this course will analyze, reflect, and critically examine wellness in libraries and their own overall experiences. Workshop will be on 1 July 2021.

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Home / Shop / Course / Redefining Wellness for Librarians of Color

Credits: 1.5 CEUs or 15 PDHs

Through the use of literature review, wellness check prompts, and community practice the participants in this course will analyze, reflect, and critically examine wellness in libraries and their own overall experiences.

Course Information

Registration dates

We accept registrations through the first week of classes, unless enrollment is full, and unless the class was canceled before it started due to low enrollment.

Course Description

The emotional challenges of being a diverse person in librarianship have been studied, researched, and highlighted over the last few years. However, wellness directed specifically to librarians of color is a newer phenomenon. Librarians of color struggle with microaggressions, racism, and overall low-morale in the workplace. Amanda M. Leftwich's personal work history and research on the topic resulted in recommendations of wellness, specifically for librarians of color.

Through the use of literature review, wellness check prompts, and community practice the participants in this course will analyze, reflect, and critically examine wellness in libraries and their own overall experiences.

By the end of this course, participants will:

Understand the importance of their own mental health;

Identify and disrupt barriers to wellness in their own workplace;

Foster positive mental health workplace policies and environments, including setting boundaries for their own wellness.

How to Register

To enroll yourself or other participants in a class, use the "Register" button that follows the description of each course. If the "Register" button does not show up, try loading the page in a different web browser. Contact us if you have technical difficulties using our shopping cart system or would like to pay for an enrollment using another method. On the payment page in the shopping cart system, there is a place to add notes, such as the names and email addresses of participants you wish to enroll. We will contact you to request this information in response to your processed payment if you do not include it in the "notes" field. Prior to the start of the workshop, we will send participants their login instructions.

Payment Info

Our shopping cart system allows you to pay with a credit card, with PayPal, or to indicate that you'll be sending a check.

Alternatively, if it is an institutional payment, we can arrange to invoice you. Contact us by email, and we can make arrangements to suit your institution's business processes.

Special Session

Please contact us to arrange a special session of this class for a group of seven or more, with a negotiable discount, or to be notified when it is next scheduled.

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Redefining Wellness for Librarians of Color - Library Juice Academy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Home / Shop / Course / Redefining Wellness for Librarians of Color Credits: 1.5 CEUs or 15 PDHs Through the use of literature review, wellness check prompts, and community practice the participants in this course will analyze, reflect, and critically examine wellness in libraries and their own overall experiences.

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Reimagining Workplace Empowerment: Reducing Low Morale for Minority Librarians

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Reimagining Workplace Empowerment: Reducing Low Morale for Minority Librarians

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Employing the use of reflective writing/aesthetic expression, assigned readings, and community participation, this course will offer opportunities for analysis, critique, and reflection on the low- morale experience as lived by racial/ethnic minority librarians.

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Home / Shop / Course / Reimagining Workplace Empowerment: Reducing Low Morale for Minority Librarians

$175.00

Credits: 1.5 CEUs or 15 PDHs

Employing the use of reflective writing/aesthetic expression, assigned readings, and community participation, this course will offer opportunities for analysis, critique, and reflection on the low- morale experience as lived by racial/ethnic minority librarians.

Course Information

Credits

1.5 CEUs or 15 PDHs

Course Description

Kendrick's second workplace morale study focuses on the experiences of racial and ethnic minority librarians and reveals additional impact factors and enabling systems this group faces during exposure to workplace abuse and neglect. Additionally, literature on workplace issues ranging from bullying and burnout to microaggressions and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts in libraries emphasize an urgent need for dialogue and reflection on low morale outcomes suffered in library environments, particularly as these issues pertain to racial/ethnic minorities practicing in North American libraries.

Employing the use of reflective writing/aesthetic expression, assigned readings, and community participation, this course will offer opportunities for analysis, critique, and reflection on the low- morale experience as lived by racial/ethnic minority librarians. At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Make sense of their low-morale experiences;

Identify, reduce, or interrupt the role of occupational, systemic, social, and political barriers to resolving low morale;

Contextualize the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion impacts on the low-morale experience;

Identify and cultivate countermeasures that decrease low morale in library workplace environments; and

Create counter-narratives that empower this group and pushback against dominate discourse about the experiences and outcomes of negative workplace behaviors in a predominantly Caucasian professional field.

Trigger warnings: Participants will be asked to revisit instances of low morale they have faced. As a result, negative memories and associated emotions, including anger, grief, and shame, may (re)-surface.

Enrolled students will be introduced to/have an opportunity to review the following concepts and frameworks:

The trajectory of the general low-morale experience (Kendrick, 2017)

Vocational Awe (Ettarh, 2018)

Contextualize the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion impacts on the low-morale experience;

Resilience Narratives (Berg, Galvan, & Tewell, 2018)

Microaggressions (Alabi, 2015)

Minority workplace ethnography in LIS (Cooke 2014, 2019)

Racial and ethnic recruitment and retention concerns in LIS

Equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts in LIS/Whiteness in LIS

Enrollee notice: this course is open to all, and is specifically designed to center the experiences of and support a safe space for racial/ethnic minorities practicing in North American libraries who have faced or are currently experiencing low morale.

Kaetrena Davis Kendrick

Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. earned her graduate degree from the historic Clark Atlanta University School of Library and Information Studies. Stemming from a decade of professional experience, Kendrick's research interests include professionalism, ethics, racial and ethnic diversity in the LIS field, the impact of creativity on library development and leadership, and the role of digital humanities in practical academic librarianship. She is co-editor of The Small and Rural Academic Library: Leveraging Resources and Overcoming Limitations (Chicago: ACRL 2016) and author of Kaleidoscopic Concern: An Annotated, Chronological Bibliography of Diversity, Recruitment, Retention, and Other Concerns Regarding African American and Ethnic Library Professionals and Global Evolution: An Annotated, Chronological Bibliography of International Students in U.S. Academic Libraries (ACRL 2009, 2007). In 2019, Kendrick was named the Association of College and Research Libraries' Academic/Research Librarian of the Year.

Special Session

Please contact us to arrange a special session of this class for a group of seven or more, with a negotiable discount, or to be notified when it is next scheduled.

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Reimagining Workplace Empowerment: Reducing Low Morale for Minority Librarians - Library Juice Academy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Home / Shop / Course / Reimagining Workplace Empowerment: Reducing Low Morale for Minority Librarians $175.00 Credits: 1.5 CEUs or 15 PDHs Employing the use of reflective writing/aesthetic expression, assigned readings, and community participation, this course will offer opportunities for analysis, critique, and reflection on the low- morale experience as lived by racial/ethnic minority librarians.

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Article published in The Library Journal

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The events of 2020 have brought on new levels of stress and anxiety for many of us. Here are some tips to help you take care of your mental and physical wellbeing.

The events of 2020 have brought on new levels of stress and anxiety for many of us. Our routines have been upended, we can't spend time with family and friends in the ways we would like, and many of us are still working from home. As we continue to deal the effects of a major health crisis and a sharp economic downturn, as well as widespread efforts to work toward racial justice, it is extremely important to take care of our mental and physical wellbeing.

When some people think of self-care, they picture face masks and long bubble baths. Those are great ways to relax, but true self-care needs go further, experts say. As this uncertain and anxious time stretches on, here are some tips to help you keep up your mental and physical health.

Our bodies need sufficient sleep in order to function well, studies show. Getting enough sleep has many health benefits. It keeps your immune system running strong, helps your heart and cardiovascular system, and is essential for various brain functions, including cognition and memory. To help get a better sleep, experts suggest that you maintain a consistent bedtime, stop looking at screens at least half an hour before bed, limit caffeine in the afternoon, and avoid big meals at night. Regular exercise can also help you improve your sleep.

Create Work-Home Boundaries

Many Americans have been working from home since March, and a number of employees will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. When your home doubles as your office, it is important to create boundaries. Skillcrush, an online company, advises anyone working remotely to create (and use) a dedicated space in your home where you work, set clear work hours and stick to them, and take your days off seriously. It's important to have at least one day a week where you are completely disconnected and unplugged from work.

Stay Physically Active

Keeping physically active is extremely important in these times, experts say. The American Heart Association advises adults to get at least 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity (running, hiking, swimming laps) combined with 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week (gardening, water aerobics, low impact bike riding, doubles tennis). But if that level is not possible, do what is comfortable and possible for you. Even a short, 10-minute walk is good for your body and can help lift your mood. If you are new to exercise, start with small amounts and gradually increase the duration and frequency over time.

Engage in Activities You Enjoy

Do you like to paint? Have you been wanting to start an indoor garden? There is no time like the present, so keep your spirits up by participating in hobbies and activities that bring you pleasure. With social distancing measures still in place and limits on public gatherings, this is a good time to learn a new skill or get better at doing something that makes you happy.

Maintain Connections and Support

Make a habit of connecting regularly with family and friends during this time, advises the World Health Organization. With social distancing measures still in place throughout the country, it's important to stay in touch with people you care about through phone calls, texting, video chats, and social media. With so many people in need of support right now, it's also good to check in on neighbors and community members and spend some time volunteering to help others if you can.

Monitor News Consumption

Doomscrolling, the act of continually scrolling through one's apps and social media to seek out bad news, has become an activity many people are engaging in regularly. Experts say it's very important to be mindful of when and how you are consuming news. It's best to limit it at night, especially right before you go to sleep, and first thing in the morning. Ann Murphy, a public health professional at Rutgers University, suggests that people limit their daily news crawls to a few sources, check information at a specific time of day, and only look at news once or twice a day.

Take Care of Your Emotions

Treat yourself with compassion. These are unprecedented times and now more than ever, no one knows what the future will bring. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), everyone reacts differently during a crisis, and it's important to notice and accept how you feel. Make time to unwind and remind yourself that strong feelings will fade. Talk about your feelings with someone you trust, and use calming self-talk ("I can do this" and "One day at a time.")

If you often feel tense, depressed, angry, or are having regular panic attacks, you should seek help from a support group or mental health professional. Organizations such as Alcohol Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are holding support groups remotely to help people in recovery from substance or alcohol abuse. Many mental health counselors are providing virtual services. You can call the national hotline for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA) at 1-800-662-HELP. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor at the Crisis Text Line. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has regional support groups and a helpline. For more information, go to nami.org.
Melanie Kletter is an educator and freelance writer and editor.

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The events of 2020 have brought on new levels of stress and anxiety for many of us. Here are some tips to help you take care of your mental and physical wellbeing. The events of 2020 have brought on new levels of stress and anxiety for many of us.

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Self-Care Strategies for a Healthy Work-Life Balance

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Self-Care Strategies for a Healthy Work-Life Balance

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Article from ALA's Intersections Blog

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By: Tina Chan, Reference Services Program Manager and Social Sciences Librarian, MIT Libraries Self-care Strategies for a Healthy Work-Life Balance
Staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for many people. Like many, I practice social-distancing and wear a mask while outside, and I work from home since my library closed. I had to set up and adapt to my work-from-home space while setting boundaries since my work and home spaces were in the same location. I recognize I am privileged to work from home while others were laid off, furloughed, or had to work onsite. I acknowledge I have no caregiver responsibilities when others had to be at home (sometimes while working) with people they care for. As unfortunate events (racial injustice, COVID-19 pandemic, economic decline, among others) impact us in different ways, the following are some self-care strategies for a healthy work-life balance.
Establish Work and Home Boundaries
Separating work and home spaces is important. When I first started working from home, it was easy for me to work beyond my work hours since I was still at home. Create a designated workspace in your home and stick to your work hours. Not working on your days off is also important. The work will still be there when you return to work.
Maintain a Consistent Schedule
Maintain a consistent schedule to help regulate your day. Set specific times of the day to eat, work, study, do homework, exercise, sleep, and any other activities you normally did pre-COVID-19 pandemic. I start my day by biking an hour and I take virtual fitness classes. Adding these classes to my calendar commits me to take them. I also set aside reading time in the evenings.
Stay Mentally and Physically Active
Being at home doesn't mean you can't be mentally and physically active. Set aside a regular daily time to do something that keeps you mentally and physically active. Take a virtual fitness class, read a book or work on a crossword puzzle in the evenings, or learn a new hobby. Whatever the activity is, do it regularly. Remember to stay hydrated.
Support a Healthy Diet
Staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic can cause unhealthy eating habits. Make smart food choices by writing a list of healthy items to buy. I am more likely to stick with a list when I write what to buy. Stock your refrigerator and freezer with healthy foods to create healthy eating habits.
Maintain Social Connections
Staying social is important to mental health. Maintain regular social connections with family and friends. Check in with them through a video or telephone call. If you work from home, you're no longer able to stop by a colleague's desk to chat or to run into them in the break room. Set up a video call with colleagues to create community and support each other.
Limit Media Consumption, Including Social Media
Keeping up with current news is important, but sometimes it can be disheartening. As the news impacts us in different ways, reducing media consumption, including social media, is essential. Limit the number and frequency of media sources. For example, you may want to follow three of your favorite news sources to twice per day (in the mornings and evenings).

Practicing self-care and maintaining a healthy work-life balance are critical to staying mentally and physically healthy. As we respond to events differently, seek professional help when necessary. We must continue to follow healthy strategies to stay grounded in times of uncertainty.

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Self-Care Strategies for a Healthy Work-Life Balance

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By: Tina Chan, Reference Services Program Manager and Social Sciences Librarian, MIT Libraries Self-care Strategies for a Healthy Work-Life Balance Staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for many people. Like many, I practice social-distancing and wear a mask while outside, and I work from home since my library closed.

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Credit to @archivistmemes