2013
Year that Clemson (S.C.) University’s Cooper Library introduced FitDesks to one of its study rooms. The desks are attached to stationary bikes, helping students to release endorphins and reduce stress while doing their schoolwork. Several other academic libraries across the US have since added FitDesks.
3
Number of months patrons at St. Louis County (Mo.) Library can receive free access to Headspace, an app that offers meditation and mindfulness exercises.
$10,000
Fundraising minimum for most runners representing Team Boston Public Library in the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon race.
11
Number of episodes of Nashville (Tenn.) Public Library’s (NPL) Your Mind Matters podcast released in 2024. Hosted by two NPL staffers, the show features interviews with local professionals and experts about mental health and its intersection with race, motherhood, disability, and more.
13
Number of CPR kits that Baltimore County (Md.) Public Library has available for checkout. The kits were donated by the Baltimore Ravens NFL team in 2023, and each includes a training video and practice mannequin.
400
Number of staff members who attended Vancouver (B.C.) Public Library’s first All-Staff Wellness Conference in 2023. The half-day event was designed to alleviate stress and included music therapy, talks on sleep hygiene and neurodiversity, therapy puppies, and film and art showcases highlighting colleagues’ creative endeavors.
64%
Percentage of libraries that offer some form of workplace mental health resources, according to the Urban Librarian Unite’s (ULU) 2022 Urban Library Trauma Study. However, ULU also reported that of the 435 library workers who responded to their survey, only 20 respondents said they used those resources.
