Book Reviews

Student Wellness & Academic Libraries: Case Studies and Activities for Promoting Health and Success. Sara Holder and Amber Lannon, eds. Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2020. 292p. Paper, $86.00 (ISBN 978-0838948644).

Perhaps more than ever, the emotional and mental health of students is understood to be essential for academic success. In addition to providing counseling services, colleges and universities have begun to explore other options for promoting student wellness; and, as Sara Holder and Amber Lannon note in this volume, the academic library has become the “logical home for wellness initiatives.” [1] In Student Wellness & Academic Libraries: Case Studies and Activities for Promoting Health and Success, editors Holder and Lannon have gathered together an in-depth collection of current research studies and wellness programs developed and implemented by academic librarians and educators.

Comprising 14 chapters and 29 authors, Student Wellness offers methods, strategies, and best practices for enhancing student support in the library. In their introduction to the text, Holder and Lannon make it clear that these case studies were carefully selected to articulate a more “holistic” approach to student success that includes but also goes beyond academic achievement alone. Their goal for this text is to help higher education institutions understand that grades alone do not make for a successful college experience. For students to thrive, they should also be provided with emotional and social support “so that they will be in a better position to continue their education, find employment, and be a functional member of society.” [6]

The case studies and initiatives included in Student Wellness make a strong argument for a larger role of the library and the academic librarian in the effort to provide students with a sense of security and connection. Detailed programs and approaches are covered, ranging from library outreach and marketing campaigns, workshops on supporting digital wellness, therapy animals in the library, and wellness support for student library workers. A chapter entitled “Designing for Wellness” describes a librarian and student collaborative project at Columbia University that focuses on two different wellness categories: student distress support and acts of kindness. The students involved in this project were members of the Barnard/Columbia chapter of Design for America, a national student “idea incubator that identifies important social issues and implements projects offering potential solutions.” [191] Authors Barbara Rockenbach, Shyamolie Biyani, and Francie Mrkich describe their collegial approach to designing and executing plans to make physical changes to the library space that would offer students comfortable, low-stress spaces for study and reflection. The team used carefully composed surveys to gather student feedback about what interventions could be made to the Butler Library. The results, say Rockenbach, Biyani, and Mrkich, “have fundamentally altered how the Columbia Libraries approach student wellness support.” [201]

Student Wellness concludes with helpful appendices that offer suggestions for events and sample outreach activities, as well as a model organizational chart for a wellness center. Appendix 14A is a suggested academic calendar that includes monthly events such as National Cyber Security Awareness, Healthy Relationships workshops, and therapy dog visits. Appendix 14B details student health activities for school Homecoming and Halloween events.

I enthusiastically recommend this thoughtful and comprehensive collection to all academic librarians. As academic libraries continue to emerge as centers for the promotion of the emotional, social, and physical well-being of students, librarians and support staff must be equipped with resources for wellness outreach and promotion. Student Wellness & Academic Libraries can serve as an essential guidebook that should be in every academic librarian’s collection.—Megan Duffy, Syracuse University