The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.

Discussing mental illness in the library profession

Author Morgan Rondinelli shares her own experience with mental illness and how that impacts her interactions with patrons in “What’s Missing in Conversations about Libraries and Mental Illness” (posted 19 June 2024 in the open access journal In the Library with the Lead Pipe). Rondinelli, who works at a public library, writes, “I interact with patrons, who like me, are very good at masking or otherwise hiding symptoms. I also interact with patrons who display more socially obvious signs of mental illness.” The variety of mental health conditions and ability of those affected to function in society has often been misunderstood, even with the increased mental health awareness caused by the pandemic. Rondinelli notes the limited library literature focused on librarians with mental illnesses.

Discussion of librarians with disabilities, including those with mental health issues that may not be apparent to co-workers, is an important part of IDEA. Based on my personal experience, I do think literature and programs on this topic have increased in the last few years. ALA’s webpage for Mental Health Resources in Libraries provides resources for supporting patrons, staff, and both. Many of the staff-focused resources are about stress and anxiety, which could be part of a mental illness or a temporary situational response. When I attended the RBMS Conference in June 2024, I was pleased to see self-care topics on the agenda, including short stretching and meditation sessions throughout the conference and the discussion group, “Nurturing Resilience: Strategies for Librarian Well-being,” lead by Rebecca Davis, a recent graduate of Syracuse University’s Library and Information Science program. Disclosing an emotional response like “I’m stressed because of work” is different than disclosing a mental illness, and the stigmatization of persons will mental illness is a very real concern. I admire Rondinelli for the courage and confidence to be open about her mental illness. Bold articles like hers, combined with librarians’ mental health as regular conference program topic, are helping to open doors for more discussion and acceptance as we become more comfortable with saying, “The librarians are not okay.” Contributed by Kate James.

Disability Pride Month resources with TIE and the Herrick District Library

In July 1990, United States President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act. To commemorate the landmark legislation, Disability Pride Month is marked each July in the U.S.  Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE), the blog from ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), brings together diverse resources to keep libraries, especially but not only those that serve higher education, informed about important ideas and initiatives. “Commemorating Disability Pride Month with TIE and Choice Content” collects book reviews, webinars, and other resources about disability rights, history, and inclusivity. Holland, Michigan’s Herrick District Library (OCLC Symbol:  EGH) has also compiled useful lists of more than fifty titles for children and young adults as Disability Pride Month recommendations that can equally serve as collection development suggestions.

Between the Herrick District Library lists and the TIE Blog, a full swath of resources from kids’ picture books all the way through scholarly communications are brought to our attention for Disability Pride Month. Although the celebration originated in the U.S., it has spread to many places throughout the world. The resources cited likewise represent disability inclusiveness internationally, consider accessibility both inside and outside libraries, and include a wide range of disabilities. Contributed by Jay Weitz.

National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive

Reporting from WBUR’s Here and Now focused on the new National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive, which launched in May. Deepa Fernandes interviewed Fallon Carey, interim digital archives manager for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS). NABS was founded in 2012, as a means of responding to the trauma inflicted on American Indian and Alaska Native Nations due to the US federal Boarding School Policy of 1869. There were over 500 federally funded “boarding schools” that Native children who were forcibly removed from their families were forced to attend. In the interview, Carey characterizes this removal as akin to kidnapping and discusses the effort as an attempt to disenfranchise Native people from their land. The removal resulted in loss of connection with family, language, heritage, and culture. The establishment of the digital archive which helps to document the stories of children who were in the boarding schools will help to serve as a site of reckoning and truth telling to support healing for descendants.

In Canada, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2007, as a means of addressing the legacy of Canada’s Indian Residential School system, which was parallel to the US boarding schools. In that time, Canada has made strides towards reckoning with its own legacy of racism and harm. It is striking that all Canadian librarians I have had contact with are not only aware of the TRC but are engaged in local efforts towards a national process that helps to move forward specific recommendations. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Archives exists but is principally comprised of documented related to the TRC. It is impactful to see how archival materials contributed from a range of cultural heritage institutions can be instrumental in both truth telling and healing for impacted individuals and communities.  Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt.