Meredith Schwartz , Library Journal ; The Restorative Library | Editorial
"Providing rest and rejuvenation in hard times
So my wish for you, your colleagues, and your patrons today is that you make rest and respite an explicit priority in planning for your library, as well as addressing safety for patrons and staff. Can you host a nap pod in your academic library, as the University of Michigan and Wesleyan University did? Can you offer your employees an app that helps with stress and sleep, as Ozy Aloziem did at Denver Public Library? Can you bring therapy bunnies to visit, as the American Library Association did at its most recent conference? Nothing brings the blood pressure down like petting a chill tribble with a pink nose. And despite my example of self–guilt tripping above, offering yoga and meditation programs may help some patrons and staff too...
It’s important to recognize, and to acknowledge, that short-term spirit lifters are not a substitute for needed structural change. No one who doesn’t make a living wage is going to respond well to attempts to placate them with a pizza party instead of a raise. But that’s not to say that little pleasures have no role to play. Structural change is a long hard slog. Fun and rest along the way can contribute to maintaining energy and momentum, rather than distracting from it. And they can help build a supportive community in which each individual knows they can take a rest when they need it, while trusting that the whole will keep moving forward together."
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