Mental health has been a hot topic of discussion for a long time, but the conversation has been highlighted even more as many of us struggled to cope with new challenges and ever changing priorities over the past year. In response to these challenges, the North Liberty and Lakeville Branches collaborated on a joint project to promote mental wellness and were awarded grant funds to bring the idea to life. This mental wellness series is offered as part of Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).
For the towns of North Liberty and Lakeville, access to mental health resources is not something that is readily available. Rural communities are often limited by their small size and resources are usually found in larger nearby cities rather than in the community itself. During the month of September, the library will hold a weekly series of events to introduce tools that promote mental wellness, as well as highlight mental wellness resources.
Our goal is to build understanding among community members about mental health and to explore options and positive activities for self care. We’ll be diving into contemplative self-care as we explore the benefits of daily journaling, caring for our bodies by enjoying yoga in the park, and stretching our minds with discussions about maintaining mental wellness at home. Our final event will be a community read and book discussion of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb.
We hope that a focus on mental wellness will give our patrons an opportunity to socialize safely, engage in a discussion on everyday wellness, and walk away with practical tools to sustain their well-being. We are excited to bring these events to our community, and hope you’ll join us as we put mental health and self care in the spotlight this September.
