Wednesday, July 23, 2008

ALA's Wellness Circle Initiative

Wellness, an initiative of out-going ALA president Loriene Roy, will be carried forth by ALA’s Allied Professional Association. ALA-APA will maintain the resources and tools that were developed by the Wellness Circle. The address is www.ala-apa.org/wellness.

Among the resources: 1) The Wellness Passport 2008 for all library workers; 2) Workplace Wellness Inventory; 3) stories of how individual library workers and their organizations journeyed toward wellness….and much more!

What do libraries have to do with wellness, anyway? Well, everything! If we feel good, we are more productive and happier, which energizes our work environments and makes for happier customers. Another benefit may be reduced health insurance costs--certain plans even offer incentives for organizations having wellness programs. When the library community models healthy behaviors, society benefits and we help achieve the goals of the Healthy People 2010 project, which is a national effort to “ensure that good health, as well as long life, are enjoyed by all.” The Medical Library Association is one of the many partners in this national initiative.

1 comment:

Michael Wold said...

Mary-Carol--This is very useful information. I will use and create various brief bibliographies for staff here. I enjoy reading you blog. Michael Wold.