Quick Summary
Anoka County Library staff member Liza Shafto offered an eye-opening session on "Mental Health Conversations at the Library" at the 2023 MLA Annual Conference in St. Paul.
There’s been more national attention on mental health since the pandemic. We saw that reflected at MLA in a presentation by Liza Shafto, a Librarian at Anoka County Library, called “Mental Health Conversations in the Library.”
An interesting statistic is that 1 in 5 people have a mental illness. Despite that prevalence, there is still a stigma associated with mental illness. As I listened to Shafto's list of types of mental health stigma, I was surprised to find a few areas where even I stigmatize mental health, despite considering myself educated on the topic.
If you would like to learn more, Shafto recommended the Make It OK website as a resource for learning and resources.
