This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 1-7, established in 1990 by Congress every year in the first full week of October.

The California State Library (CSL) has created training videos for library employees as part of their Mental Health Initiative. There is relevant information for those working in small and rural libraries. Six of eight planned videos have been recorded and are available on YouTube:

• Episode 1: Welcome to the Mental Health Initiative Video Series (3:55)
• Episode 2: Establishing a Positive Staff Culture Around Mental Health (6:31)
• Episode 3: Do’s and Don’ts of Interacting with Patrons Affected by Mental Illness (15:44)
• Episode 4: How to Establish Positive Relationships with Disruptive Patrons (12:14)
• Episode 5: Exploring Compassion Fatigue (7:58)
• Episode 6: Successfully Addressing Customer Complaints About Patrons Affected by Mental Illness (7:15)

The two additional videos in the series, one on teens and one that wraps up the training, will be available on YouTube on the California Library Services channel when they are available. The 8-part video series was produced by the California State Library in partnership with Los Angeles Public Library and Los Angeles County Library.