LATI and Mental Health First Aid

LATI   August – December 2013

LATI was an intense, five-month-long roller coaster ride of webinars; homework; driving to and from Baltimore; giving presentations; group work; diving into social networking sites, websites, and  data bases; exploration of reference books and children’s areas; more ways to Google than ever imagined; how to tell types of books by their covers; and so on.   In short, a little bit of All Things Library.  I still have my huge notebook, neatly divided into weeks, sitting near my desk.  Since graduating, I’ve referred to it now and then, though not as often as I’d like. When I graduated, I was so far behind in my regular job duties, that I haven’t had time to review sections as I’d intended.  BUT, I know what Tumblr is and how it can be used by libraries.  I helped a patron find current physics journal articles, send them to his e-mail, and download them on his tablet.  I now use Goodreads and a range of book award sites for selecting titles for my branch.  I’m now aware of the professional organizations for librarians and how they can help with networking, information, and legal assistance. I have a much better understanding about the political vagaries and financial belt-tightening involved in keeping libraries running, and the importance of libraries in upholding the freedom of speech and fair access to information.  I’d say it was very worthwhile, and Gail Griffith, the coordinator, was exceptional.  

Mental Health First Aid Workshop    March 31, 2014

This was a very interesting workshop about how to deal with patrons who are depressed, anxious, using drugs, or having a psychotic episode.  (Note:  Don’t threaten patrons by telling them you’re going to call the police.  Instead, have a signal with fellow employees that means:  Go out of earshot and call the police.)  Basically, with any of these conditions, you should try to appear calm.  Ask the patron if this has ever happened before, and if so, how did he or she deal with it.  Try to get a hold of a family member.  Ascertain if the person has gone off of a medication.   Comply with reasonable requests.  They may have something they do to calm themselves down, like pacing back and forth.  Be aware that they might be hearing voices that you can’t hear, telling them conflicting things; perhaps the person keeps glancing over his or her shoulder toward this voice.  Treat these as real people, like the person does.  Encourage them to get professional help, which they can find by calling 211, which is also a suicide prevention line.  The action plan is: A- Assess for risk of harm to self or others.  L- Listen nonjudgmentally   G- Give reassurance and information, and E- Encourage appropriate self-help, professional help, and support strategies.  Meanwhile, if you feel the person is a threat to anyone, call 911.