Why create a sensory-friendly library?  The answer is because we care about all our students’ well-being and success!

Specific groups of our students have sensory issues that pose major challenges in their lives:

• Neurodiverse students (students with autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and dyslexia) often deal with particularly serious sensory problems that can interfere with their studies (Nolan et al., 2023).  Around 39% of students with autism graduate from college compared to 52% of the general student body (Newman et al., 2011), and sensory issues are one of the factors contributing to these lower graduation rates.  Improvements to the sensory environment for these students can help eliminate an obstacle on their path to graduation.
• Students with post-traumatic stress syndrome or concussions often experience sensory issues such as hypersensitivity to noise (Engel-Yeger, 2013). Research suggests that sensory-based interventions, such as weighted blankets or calming rooms, are effective in treating these conditions (McGreevy, 2020).
• Unfortunately, anxiety and depression has surged among college students since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it more important than ever to ease their stress burden (Eisenberg, 2022). Many distressed students can also be triggered by stimuli on campus, such as crowded classrooms, bustling hallways, or harsh fluorescent lighting.  They crave a tranquil, soothing environment to study in. With campus counselors in short supply and long waiting times for appointments (Flannery, 2023), colleges are considering ways to help students destress through a broad range of means beyond one-on-one therapy. Improvements to the sensory environment are one strategy that can promote wellness.

In summary, there is a strong need for therapeutic spaces and resources that can help meet sensory needs, block out harmful noise, and relieve anxiety on college campuses.  Doing so will enable students to read and learn without interference from negative stimuli.

Libraries are centers for academic life, with most students going there at some point, often seeking a place to study for an extended block of time.  As such, libraries are positioned to make a major impact on their sensory experiences. However, most libraries were not designed with sensory issues in mind. In fact, research has shown that some neurodiverse students avoid their campus libraries because of sensory obstacles such as crowding or spaces that are either too loud or too quiet (Madriaga, 2010; Nolan et al., 2023).

That brings us back to our goal.  Adapting spaces, implementing technologies that generate soothing experiences, fine tuning our policies, making self-help tools available, and most importantly, making sensory awareness a part of libraries’ organizational culture are all steps towards our goal of sensory-friendly libraries.

 

 

 

 

References

Eisenberg, D., Lipson, S. K., Heinze, J., & Zhou, S. (2022). Healthy Minds Study Report.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/167mchxCXjCAx7E6b3VheXhojDVO2NZRd/view

Engel-Yeger, B., Palgy-Levin, D., & Lev-Wiesel, R. (2013). The sensory profile of people with post-traumatic stress symptoms. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 29(3), 266-278.  https://doi.org/10.1080/0164212X.2013.819466

Flannery, M.E. (2023, March 29). The mental health crisis on college campuses. National Education Association Today.  https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/mental-health-crisis-college-campuses

Madriaga M (2010) ‘I avoid pubs and the student union like the plague’: Students with Asperger syndrome and their negotiation of university spaces. Children’s Geographies, 8, 39–50.

McGreevy, S., & Boland, P. (2020). Sensory-based interventions with adult and adolescent trauma survivors: An integrative review of the occupational therapy literature. Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy, 48(1), 31-54.

Newman, L., Wagner, M., Knokey, A. M., Marder, C., Nagle, K., Shaver, D., & Wei, X. (2011). The Post-High School Outcomes of Young Adults with Disabilities up to 8 Years after High School: A Report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). NCSER 2011-3005. (tech. rep.). National Center for Special Education Research. Retrieved from https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20113005/pdf/20113005.pdf

Nolan, C., Doyle, J. K., Lewis, K., & Treanor, D. (2023). Disabled students’ perception of the sensory aspects of the learning and social environments within one higher education institution. The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 86(5), 367-375. https://doi.org/10.1177/03080226221126895