The Importance of Mental Health: Tips for Libraries and Librarian Provision of Reference Services to Help People Take Care of Their Mental Health

by Gregory K. Tharp

Abstract

An exploration of how librarians and other information professionals assist people in locating self-help resources. Self-help mental health resources are becoming increasingly important as there is an established link between mental health well-being and physical well-being and how long people will live. Also the increasing reliance on social media also contributes to the need for self-help mental health resources that the average person can understand. Rather than taking a scholarly tone, this blog post tries to be conversational to resonate with the average person and to make librarians approachable to the average person with no medical training and little time.