CURRENT POSITION Library Services Manager, Santa Clara County Library District, CA DEGREE MLIS, University of California, Los Angeles, 2007 FOLLOW sccld.org Photo by Khang Nguyen

Mental Health Conversations

Guided by the strategic goal to support local community needs with reflective services throughout the Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD), Library Services Manager Clare Varesio spearheaded systemwide efforts to educate both library workers and the greater community on responses to the opioid overdose epidemic. She connected with local partners, including the county’s behavioral health services department, to offer naloxone workshops to library workers. By October 2023, approximately 20 percent of SCCLD staff had attended them.

The trainings expanded to nine events in all, designed for the local community, held at each of SCCLD’s branch locations. “In total, 468 library staff and community members received training,” says nominator and Head Librarian Jennifer Weeks. Varesio also worked with the behavioral health department to offer a series of seven workshops on connecting community members with mental health services. “Between stigma and lack of knowledge or other barriers, many people who would benefit from help do not currently receive it,” notes Weeks.

“I am always grateful for the opportunity to educate—and surprise—community members by sharing what library services can do for them,” says Varesio, who began her career as a children’s librarian. Connecting the library with other county departments and local nonprofits requires careful coordination that “called for someone with significant experience and a practical approach toward addressing the health privacy and employee rights issues involved,” says Weeks.

“Letting people know you are a librarian opens the door to having a conversation,” says Varesio. “I hope to continue to support library initiatives that can improve education and equity for the communities I serve.”