The Mindful Librarian

Connecting the Practice of Mindfulness to Librarianship

Richard Moniz, Joe Eshleman, Jo Henry, Howard Slutzky, Lisa Moniz

• Publisher: Chandos Publishing
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9780081005552
• eBook ISBN: 9780081005613
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Library & Information Science
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

The Mindful Librarian: Connecting the Practice of Mindfulness to Librarianship explores mindfulness, approaching it in such a way as to relate specifically to the many roles or challenges librarians face. Coinciding with the increased need to juggle a variety of tasks, technologies, ebooks, and databases, the new Association of College & Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy, and the challenges faced by solo librarians in school libraries which have suffered cutbacks in help in recent years, the time is exactly right for this publication.The authors hope to be helpful in some small way towards improving the joy and quality of life that librarians and library science students experience in their personal lives and jobs. The loftier goal would be to create a new lens from which to view librarianship, having a transformative impact on readers, and opening a new dialog within the profession.The topic of mindfulness is not new; it has been connected to various religious traditions in a wide variety of ways for centuries, most notably Buddhism. In the latter part of the 20th century, however, a secular version was popularized largely by the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn and his work on MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) at the University of Massachusetts's Medical School.The medical benefits and the overall quality of life improvements from its adoption have exploded in recent years, in particular, the last two decades which have seen mindfulness traditions incorporated into education to a greater degree and with very positive results.- Presents the only current LIS book that covers this topic in a way that applies directly to librarians- Provides a topic that will be appealing to librarians, as it speaks to the pressures of budget cuts and consumer culture being felt across the academy- Seeks to improve the joy and quality of life that librarians and library science students experience in their personal lives and jobs

Chapter 1

A Brief Introduction to Mindfulness

Origins, Science, the Brain, and Practice

Richard Moniz and Howard Slutzky

Abstract

In order to use mindfulness in education and library science, it is important to first understand its roots. Central in this endeavor is understanding the traditional and later scientific application of mindfulness through programs such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Since actual experience is key to utilizing mindfulness every day, both more involved and simpler practices need to be introduced.

Keywords

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR); Jon Kabbat-Zinn; mindfulness; beginner’s mind; presence; yoga; meditation; mindful eating; neuroplasticity; t’ai chi

Roots of Mindfulness in Modern Western Society

Mindfulness is a central element within a multitude of religions and spiritual traditions, but it is most closely associated with the 2500-year-old Buddhist tradition. While our focus as authors of this text for simplicity is primarily on Buddhist practices, we do recognize that many traditions have made similar contributions in the much broader context of world history.

While at least a handful of Buddhist-related texts related to mindfulness had been translated into English from other languages by the late nineteenth century, it wasn’t until the latter half of the twentieth century that the idea of mindfulness began to spread to the masses in the United States and other Western countries such as the United Kingdom. The intent in this transition and in our writing is to share some of the tenets of mindfulness and to help librarians in their lives and work. We intend no disrespect and, in fact, share the deepest awe and reverence for the varied traditions from which mindfulness concepts and practices have arisen. In perhaps the most famous example of the introduction of such practices into Western society, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi briefly popularized mindfulness practice in the United Kingdom in the 1960s when he traveled there and taught meditation techniques to the members of the Beatles and other celebrities.¹ What follows is a very brief introduction to mindfulness and how it spread in the West. Also described is the transition of mindfulness as part of a religious tradition into something of a more secular approach or lens for viewing the world and oneself, at least by many modern Western adherents.

The purpose of our content below is to share the concept of mindfulness and to help librarians in their lives and work. An early figure of some importance in developing awareness of mindfulness-based practice was Nyanaponika Thera. Thera was a German-born Buddhist monk who actively spread the teachings and practices of Buddhism until his death in 1994.² His most famous book, published in 1973, was The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: A Handbook of Mental Training Based on the Buddha’s Way of Mindfulness; it made the claim that many practical benefits could arise from adoption of these ancient practices. “These benefits, he states at various points in the book, include mental clarity, freedom, energy, well-being, happiness, quietude, balance, self-control, [and] the avoidance of rash words and actions.”³

The pivotal work of Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn cannot be understated either, in the early days of the contemporary mindfulness movement in the West. In what would be the first of dozens of books written by Hahn, he described the importance of mindfulness in his very first text, The Miracle of Mindfulness! In it, he states:

I like to walk along country paths, rice plants, and wild grasses on both sides, putting each foot down on the earth in mindfulness, knowing that I walk on the wondrous earth. In such moments existence is a miraculous and mysterious reality. People usually consider walking on water and in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black curious eyes of a child…⁴

Clearly, one may draw a connection from Hahn’s writing to the American literary tradition and authors such as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Like these American-born counterparts, Thich Nhat Hahn’s writings on mindfulness connected appreciation for the everyday world that we inhabit to a belief in religion. While we are explicitly not advocating any particular religion and wish to give all due respect to both the Christian and Buddhist traditions in which these various individuals believed, the intent here is on the secular application of mindfulness, one that may be derived from each of these aforementioned writers. During a talk given to Loyola University students in 2003, Thich Nhat Hahn stated, “With mindfulness, we are able to be fully present, fully alive…. Mindfulness is knowing what is going on.”⁵ To this day, and with that in mind, even with all the other books and materials in existence related to mindfulness, The Miracle of Mindfulness! remains a straightforward and practical guide. It discusses, for example, the application of mindfulness in a variety of contexts such as washing dishes, washing clothes, making tea, cleaning one’s house, and taking a bath.⁶ In terms of Hahn’s impact in the United States and beyond, it should be noted that his particular approach of connecting mindfulness to nonviolent protest and resistance to oppression led Dr Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.⁷ In fact, the two became good friends and allies until King’s untimely death in 1968.

Another key individual in the mindfulness movement in the West has been the Dalai Lama. As the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee Tibet when it was occupied by the Chinese in 1959. On the world stage, it would be hard to find many other individuals who have had as deep and powerful an impact on the lives of others. Earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, the Dalai Lama has traveled far and wide.⁸ One notable contribution in this context is that he helped create the Mind and Life Institute, based in Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1987. According to its web site:

Since the first Dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Mind and Life has held 26 others that bring together scientists and contemplatives on a wide range of critical subjects: addiction, ecology, ethics, attention, neuroplasticity, destructive emotions, altruism, economics, and more. Additionally, over the past 30 years, Mind and Life’s work has extended beyond the Dialogues. The Institute has become a direct funder of individual research via its grant and scholarship programs. It convenes an annual Summer Research Institute, as well as the field’s marquee biannual conference: the International Symposium for Contemplative Studies. In the process, Mind and Life has become more than just a leader in the field of contemplative science; it has become an incubator for discovery in all of the fields this new science touches.⁹

The Mind and Life Institute is one of many such organizations that has played a key role in spreading mindfulness and contemplative practice throughout the world. It also serves as an important bridge between the religious practices of mindfulness that have been passed down for centuries and the recent attempts by science to quantify and study the effects of these practices. As such, more resources and connections to this organization will appear throughout this book.

Despite the work of Nyanaponika Thera, Thich Nhat Hahn, the Dalai Lama, and other critical figures, the watershed moment for mindfulness in the Western world is largely credited to the establishment of the first mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979 by Dr Jon Kabbat-Zinn. He is credited with being the first to separate the practice of mindfulness from any direct or explicit religious context and establish nontheological professional training for MBSR teachers. Interestingly, as it relates to the history of librarianship, Boston, Massachusetts, is where the American Library Association (ALA) had been chartered exactly 100 years earlier.¹⁰ Focused on improving the health of its patients, the goals of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts were similarly altruistic to that of the ALA, with its focus on service to others. In addition, the professionalism sought by ALA in creating its charter parallels the professional or clinical application of mindfulness by Kabbat-Zinn. While completing his doctorate in molecular biology, he became heavily involved in yoga and meditation. He states, “I loved science…I also saw there were multiple ways of knowing things. It prompted me to want to understand the biology of consciousness itself.”¹¹ His original intent was to target a wide variety of chronic medical conditions to scientifically determine if mindfulness could help ordinary people live improved lives. According to Pickert in a recent article in Time magazine “Even if you couldn’t alleviate their symptoms, Kabbat-Zinn speculated that mindfulness training might help patients refocus their attention so they could change their response to pain and thereby reduce their overall suffering.”¹²

Largely due to the promise that this type of practice held within the medical field, dissertations on the topic exploded in the 1980s.¹³ By 2005, nearly 16,000 people had gone through MBSR training at the University of Massachusetts.¹⁴ In 2003, there were just 52 publications on mindfulness in academic journals, but by 2012, the number of yearly journal publications had reached 477.¹⁵ Furthermore, by 2014, there were more than 1000 certified instructors (many trained by Kabbat-Zinn himself) in every state in the United States, as well as 30 additional countries.

So, what is MBSR, and why has it gained so much credence in the West in recent years? MBSR is an eight-week program led by a certified professional. Individuals may choose to participate on their own or be referred by a doctor for treatment of a wide range of ailments, including general anxiety and stress, struggling with the loss of a loved one, chronic pain conditions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and numerous other conditions. Over the course of eight weeks, participants agree to attend one in-person session that can run approximately 2 h. They also agree to do “homework” by practicing the techniques they learn in class.

In MBSR programs, patients are taught how to eat mindfully. This first entails eating a ra...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• About the Author
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1. A Brief Introduction to Mindfulness: Origins, Science, the Brain, and Practice
• Chapter 2. The Mindfulness Movement in Education
• Chapter 3. Applying Mindfulness to the Undergraduate Research Process
• Chapter 4. The Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy: Connecting to Mindfulness
• Chapter 5. Mindful Reference Service
• Chapter 6. Building Mindful Relationships with Faculty
• Chapter 7. Mindful Library Leadership
• Chapter 8. The Solo Librarian
• Conclusion
• Index