[Eril-l] Core Webinar: Navigating Mental Health In Information Spaces

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Core Webinar: Navigating Mental Health In Information Spaces

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025

All webinars are one hour in length and begin at 11 am Pacific, noon
Mountain, 1 pm Central, and 2 pm Eastern time.



Description:

Mental health is a critical component of an individual's health and
well-being. Historically, seeking mental health help has been fraught with
challenges, including forced institutionalization, misunderstanding of
symptoms, and stigmatization so profound that many chose to suffer in
silence rather than reach out. In 1997, Jorm et al. coined the term 'mental
health literacy,' defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders
that aid in their recognition, management, or prevention. A core component
of mental health literacy includes knowing how to seek mental health
information. To support public exploration and understanding, librarians
and library workers play a crucial role in addressing the need for
accessible, equitable, and inclusive mental health resources.

Drawing upon current LIS research and professional practice, this webinar
will delve into the intricacies, limitations, and possibilities for change
in fostering meaningful and compassionate mental health support within
information spaces. Furthermore, these resources must effectively meet the
diverse needs of various vulnerable and/or marginalized communities. This
webinar will evaluate the current mental health information landscape
through the lens of two library and information science educators and
former librarians who conduct research with and advocate for marginalized
groups.

In this webinar, we will cover the challenges associated with traditional
and novel information landscapes. Furthermore, we will discuss historical
and contemporary complexities and challenges in mental health information
practices. By implementing strategies highlighted in this webinar,
libraries can play a vital role in supporting community mental health,
particularly for underserved, marginalized, and overlooked populations.

Ultimately, our webinar aims to foster a meaningful discussion among
presenters and attendees. This discussion, complemented by resources and
additional supportive materials, is designed to extend into attendees'
workplaces and inform their professional practice.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

   -

   expand the role of their library as a community mental health hub
   through partnerships with community health organizations, supportive and
   trauma-informed staff training, and develop representative and meaningful
   programming, collections, and outreach services.
   -

   foster and assess innovative and localized approaches to help address
   health equity needs and reduce mental health disparities in their
   communities.
   -

   develop strategies to improve collaboration and organization between
   libraries, library workers, mental health professionals, and relevant
   community organizations/programs/initiatives.



Who should attend?

Information professionals in all kinds of libraries, marginalized groups
seeking information in-person or virtual.

Presenters:

Dr. Abigail L. Phillips (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the School
of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She holds
Master’s and Specialist degrees in Library and Information Science, with a
focus on leadership and management, from Florida State University. Her
research interests include neurodiversity, mental health, disability,
accessibility, and support for marginalized, underserved, and invisible
communities, as well as cyberbullying and bullying. She also explores
librarianship as a practice and libraries as both institutions and
community spaces. Abigail received her PhD in Information Science from the
School of Information at Florida State University in Spring 2016. Before
entering the PhD program, she worked as a public librarian in a small,
rural public library system in South Georgia. Per the norm in public
libraries, she wore many hats, from creating and presenting story times to
grant writing to developing a monthly lunchtime "brown bag" book clubs in
the local middle and high schools' libraries.

Twanna Hodge (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the College of Information at
the University of Maryland, College Park. She holds a BA in Humanities from
the University of the Virgin Islands and a Master’s in Library and
Information Science from the University of Washington. Her PhD research
focuses on the mental health literacy and mental health information
behavior of English-speaking Black Caribbean communities and BIPOC (Black,
Indigenous, People of Color) employees in Galleries, Libraries, Archives,
and Museums (GLAM). She was an academic librarian for over seven years. She
is one of the co-creators of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
(BIPOC) in Library and Information Science (LIS) Mental Health Summit,
which was created during the pandemic as a space for collective care in an
authentic and care-centered manner; to increase awareness of best practices
for self-preservation and wellness tools.


*****************

Registration fees for webinar:  Core Member $57.85; ALA member: $80.10;
Student member $44.50; Non-member $89.00

For additional information and access to registration links, please go to
the following website:

https://elearning.ala.org/local/catalog/view/product.php?productid=1589

Core webinars are recorded and registrants receive a link to the recording
shortly following the live event.

For questions about registration, contact ALA Registration by calling
1-800-545-2433 and press 5 or email registration at ala.org.

For all other questions or comments related to Core webinars, please
contact Core CE staff at corece at ala.org.

*Posted on behalf of the Core Continuing Education Committee.*
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