Have you heard “just look on the bright side!” after you opened up and told a colleague about a particularly rough day? What about “there’s a silver lining to every cloud” or “it could be worse!”
These pithy sayings are examples of toxic positivity. Join librarians from Texas Tech University and Binghamton University for an engaging conversation where attendees can discuss what toxic positivity and wellness are, and how they might occur in the library workspace. Attendees may address issues related to accessibility and inclusion, as well as strategies for mitigating these types of toxicity. Examples of these strategies include adding aspects of deep listening, non-judgement, and radical acceptance to the workplace, as well as recognizing the dignity and worth of all.
This program will not be recorded. Attendees will receive 1 hour of continuing education. Click here to access the RCLS Code of Conduct.
About the speakers:
Erin Burns is a STEM librarian at Texas Tech University and serves as the personal librarian to the Whitacre College of Engineering. She has a BA in English from Youngstown State University and an MLIS from Kent State University. Her research interests include mental health and academic ablism, digital humanities, critical librarianship, and yoga. She is also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 500), and conducts a free yin yoga session for the Texas Tech community online once weekly. You can find her walking or hiking when she is not knitting, creating yarn art, or standing in tree pose.
Megan Benson is the Assistant Head of Instruction and Outreach at Binghamton University where she liaisons to First Year Experience, Writing courses, and the English Language Institute. She also teaches a two credit research skills class, where she incorporates yogic philosophies to her teaching. Prior to becoming a librarian, Megan earned a Master’s Degree in history from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and taught Western Civilizations I at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida before earning an MLIS from Syracuse University. She is a registered yoga teacher and is often an ice cream tourist when she isn’t trying to make it herself.
Brian Quinn is Barnie E. Rushing, Jr. Outstanding Researcher and author of numerous peer- reviewed publications. A recipient of the Excellence in Librarianship Award from the American Psychological Association, Brian has served on the editorial boards of Library Resources &Technical Services and other journals. His article “The McDonaldization of Academic Libraries?” was selected by the Association of College and Research Libraries as one of seven landmark articles published in its flagship journal.
