CURRENT POSITION Workforce and Economic Development Librarian, Pima County Public Library, AZ  DEGREE MLS, University of Arizona, 2004 FAST FACT Landon’s hero is Nelson Mandela.  FOLLOW linkedin.com/in/matthew-landon-44b2651ab Photo by Randy Metcalf

Stigma Buster

He had just gotten his bachelor’s degree and was working in a warehouse when Matthew Landon took the advice of a friend in his baby’s playgroup and decided to pursue a library career. That fellow new parent eventually became his supervisor at Pima County Public Library (PCPL). 

Working in libraries, Landon found himself drawn to the sensitive emotional landscape of local youth. He became certified as a Youth Mental Health First Aid Provider, then dove into changing the conversation around mental health. “Part of addressing mental health is addressing the stigma,” he says. “Frank talk combats it by putting issues in the open.” It was a mission that had personal meaning, says Landon: “I suffered as a young adult myself with mental illness, and only started serious recovery about 15 years ago.”

Landon set about shattering that stigma through his Youth Health Action Team, a youth-led project tackling mental and physical health challenges for teens and young adults living in a high-poverty community. With a $34,682 grant from the Arizona State Library, Landon paid presenters, hired youth interns, provided digital literacy training, and secured supplies for the creation of an array of media. PCPL’s Woods Memorial Library recruited 15 interns in the 2022–23 school year who completed 19 distinct projects, including bookmarks designed with pro–mental health messages and a weekly youth-health zine, Lifeline. Landon secured no fewer than 18 community partners. “Artists, poets, writers, therapists, nature groups, the local health department, and community health coalitions all provided workshops, conversations, and learning opportunities,” he recalls. The Youth Health Action Team won the 2023 Arizona Library Association Extraordinary Program Award; Landon himself was lauded with the Outstanding Young Adult Services Award. 

Although he still mentors the staff who carry the Youth Health Action Team forward, Landon recently moved on to adult services. “When I saw an opportunity to join the Community Engagement Office to manage adult programming and workforce development, I didn’t hesitate,” he says. “I’m passionate about economic justice and interested in helping adults achieve their learning and life goals.” These days, he’s working on a community needs assessment to inform Pima County digital literacy efforts, especially in the sphere of employment. Additionally, he is working with the local League of Women Voters on a panel discussion on AI and misinformation ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Whether interacting with teens or adults, Landon strives to approach them with empathy. “Understanding someone’s question, the desires that drive the question, is essential to providing quality information,” he says. “Librarians can help people achieve the next goal they have, and be a big part of their success.”