Pursuing excellence for library service to children
Have you ever told someone it’s not selfish to practice self-care? On the other hand, how often have you prioritized your own self-care? Be honest. Even if it’s not as often as you’d like, that’s okay. As we move into winter breaks, holiday travel, and wrapping up another year, personalized self-care is hard. I’m struggling with it, too. Let’s talk about how we can make it better.
Welcome to Ask ALSC, where the Managing Youth Services Committee asks leaders in children’s libraries to share their response to an issue or situation. We hope to showcase a range of responses to topics that may affect ALSC members. If you’d like to respond to today’s topics, or suggest a topic for the future, please leave a comment. *Disclaimer* I am not a healthcare professional. I am a reader and a hard-working mental health advocate, both personally and professionally. Self-care and wellness are frequent buzzwords in articles discussing the workplace. Why? What’s changed (other than the obvious) to warrant an uptick in administrative discussions surrounding mental health and career? And why should we as managers devote time and space to discussions on well-being? There are a myriad of reasons why we should all be focused on mental health, but for brevity and deliverability, I will focus on three. I’m sure…
After an exciting morning exploring the coffee shops of downtown Portland, I settled in for my first session of Thursday, and was immediately greeted by the warmth and engaging presence of Ozy Aloziam of the Denver Public Library.