The article linked to below (full text, open access) was recently published by the Journal of Academic Librarianship.
Title
Authors
Andrew Cox
University of Sheffield
Liz Brewster
Lancaster University
Source
The Journal of Academic Librarianship
Volume 46, Issue 6
November 2020, 102256
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102256
Abstract
Libraries increasingly seek to support the mental health and well-being of students. This study reports on the results of a survey examining the range of such support activities offered by UK academic libraries prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic libraries’ emphasis was on new library specific services such as a fiction collection, a type of initiative taken to proactively align with institutional policy. During the pandemic focus shifted somewhat to addressing the anxiety related to finding e-resources. Drawing on the survey data a holistic model of library support for student mental health and well-being is developed, capturing its eight different aspects: inherent library value, library services impact, well-being as a library service, detection, hosting, signposting, library as a good partner and library staff well-being. This represents a framework through which to examine how an academic library can support student mental health and well-being, and complements the “whole university” approach being increasingly adopted in the UK.
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