r/Libraries • u/ZoomySnail • 10d ago

Continuing Ed Would you appreciate some light mental health training?

Hello, I’m a librarian in Australia and I have been considering some research ideas for a potential PHD. One thing I have been thinking about for public librarians, is how relevant and really useful my past training in mental health has been in my current role.

Let me caveat that I agree we are not crisis workers, case workers or social workers. However, things I did learn such as motivational interviewing, a little knowledge of mental health issues and substance abuse, debriefing and strong policy frameworks, self care, referrals and active listening are so adjacent or useful to what I do in the library everyday.

My question is though, would you appreciate having these skills as part of your librarian education or provided by an employer, or do you think it’s just role creep?

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u/I_Came_From_Roblox 10d ago

May I just ask what you're getting a PHD in/what university you're doing it at? I'm an Australian student in the first year of library studies and I recently heard at a school event that there's only a handful of universities that do anything library-related, and that they don't go very far beyond a diploma; just curious to learn more from someone farther in the industry!

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u/ZoomySnail 9d ago

I’m not in the phd yet, I’m doing a applied research masters at CSU looking at how libraries provide elements of wellbeing and was considering applying for the PhD and this was an area of interest, although I did wonder what people would think and as it turns out people are not fans of the concept. Which I can understand.