2019-07-15 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 3, Issue 9
Featured Story
Stress Management
You’ve had an exhausting day at work. The weather is gross, people brought in their screaming kids all day, someone held their library card in their mouth while putting their cards back in their wallet and then handed you their drooly mouth-card. Ugh. You’ve just arrived back home and taken your shoes off. This article is that feeling you get when you sink into your favorite chair and take a well-earned sigh of relief. Settle in, we brought hot chocolate. Let’s talk about two easy, accessible ways to integrate stress management techniques into your daily routine.
First, we’ll discuss mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of keeping your mind on the task at hand. It’s really hard to be fully present- ruminating about conversations, making plans, answering texts, checking emails, reading the news. It’s tough to have that many things on your mind and still try and manage a conversation. Imagine working the service desk a few weeks into January and helping a patron download ebooks on their new tablet for the thousandth time- it’s easy to heave a sigh and hand them a flyer, but even though you may have done it a thousand times it’s the first time for that patron. Mindfulness is all about being deliberately focused on what you are doing. It pays dividends in positive customer service and in your personal wellbeing. A lot of people link mindfulness with meditation- meditation is also great, but you don’t need a quiet room or a special cushion to practice mindfulness. Just keep an eye on where your mind is and correct it back to the present.
A related topic is controlled breathing. There’s a lot of truth in the old advice to take a breath and count to ten. That said, you might be better off counting to four. The idea is: do a slow inhale for four beats, hold it for four beats, exhale for four beats, and hold the exhale for four beats. If it helps, as you breathe imagine each step is a line, and the exercise is drawing a square with those breaths. Repeating this process four times should do wonders to calm your mind. This technique is variously called box, square, and combat breathing, and it’s used by folks from yoga studios to the military.
Just like using the library, mindfulness doesn’t require you to buy or believe in anything. All it requires is to maybe put your phone on silent more often, stay engaged in your social interactions, and take a moment every now and again to center yourself. If you want some additional guidance, there are any number of resources to learn more. You might find it helpful to try out an app like Calm or Headspace. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into the topic, I’d suggest checking out Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky. Happy de-stressing!
– Tyler McLane, Coeur d’Alene Public Library
Fail Forward
We’ve all been there. You pour your heart into a program, and no one shows up. You try something new, and you fall on your face. Sound familiar? Fail Forward is the place to share your failures, and give you the opportunity to share what you learned from them. Did you promote your program in a different way after no one showed up? Maybe you took a new approach to the new thing you were excited about? Awesome! Share your story via our online form so others can learn, and realize that failure is often part of the process.
Fear of Weeding Equipment Is My Regrettable Failure
I am a very reluctant weeder. I know a library collection should be a carefully tended garden, but deciding what stays and what should go is always a daunting task for me. Books I can let go of easier than equipment, though. It’s easy to see that the book that says Pluto is still considered a planet might have to go, but I know the minute I get rid of that filmstrip projector someone is going to ask for one. However, recent events have shown me that yearly equipment weeding should be a priority. I found out last month that our building is getting new carpet. The new carpet is going to be great, but having to box everything up to move it out of the library at the end of the year, and then back in again at the beginning of the year is proving to be overwhelming because of the various obsolete and broken equipment I am going to have to dispose of first. Getting rid of stuff rather than letting it accumulate would have saved me a lot of current stress.
– Gretchen Perkins, Caldwell School District
Crush Corner
Is there a library you follow on social media who is always doing new and exciting things? How about a blog you follow that inspires you? What about a new idea, book, or resource that you want to share? Library Crush Corner is a place for those working in Idaho libraries to share what inspires them, and who or what they’re crushing on… in a professional sense. Share your story via our online form so we can publish it in a future issue!
Kitty Literacy
I’m totally crushing on Santa Ana Library. They tried this adorable early literacy program called Kitty Literacy where a local shelter brought adoptable cats in to be read to. What I love about this is the sheer cuteness levels of the photos, and the way it solves a need for another community organization (kittens need lots of human socialization) and encourages young readers. Check them out on Iinstagram @memories_of_migration.
– Alex Johnatakis, Meridian District Library
SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at splat.lili.org
SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-00-18-0013-18). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.