Helen Rimmer has extensive experience within the library, university and education sectors. Her most recent information role was as Head of Library and Archives Service at the University of Westminster. As the founder and owner of The Kind Brave Leader, she now offers systemic team coaching and culture building.

In an interview for Lucidea in February 2024, the author says: “This book stems from my dedication to creating work environments where kindness and wellbeing are not just valued but are the norm. Drawing on my experiences and academic background, I saw a need for a resource that could guide library professionals toward embedding these values into their workplace culture. My goal is to share knowledge that empowers librarians to foster environments that thrive on genuine kindness and support.”

The Kind Librarian offers a thorough and systematic exploration of how kindness can be intentionally cultivated within library and information settings to create more supportive, effective and resilient workplaces. The book is structured in four parts, across 19 chapters, progressing from theoretical foundations to practical applications.

Part 1 establishes important principles, exploring the vital distinction between genuine kindness in the workplace, as opposed to more shallow ‘niceness’. It emphasises that such genuine kindness is key to enhancing good team relationships, emotional intelligence and overall wellbeing. Subsequent parts look in detail at practical strategies for creating a supportive working environment for library teams; leadership approaches for enhancing wellbeing within teams and advocating and promoting kindness and wellbeing in times of potentially unsettling restructuring and change.

Guest authors have contributed chapters to supplement Helen Rimmer’s research and reflections. Kirsten Elliott and Darren Flynn’s chapter extends the idea of kindness and empathy to library recruitment. In her chapter, Amy Stubbing looks at the importance of the ethical use of data for wellbeing and leadership.

The author incorporates a number of very helpful case studies, which provide insightful examples of how kindness principles have been successfully implemented in a range of different library settings.

The practical elements of the book offer particular value. Each chapter concludes with reflective questions and exercises designed for both individual and team engagement. These tools are insightful and thought-provoking, providing tangible takeaways that readers can immediately apply to their specific work contexts. In her interview for Lucidea, the author states her keenness to make the book “a toolkit for changing environments”. She goes on to say that “creating truly kind environments is sometimes very difficult because you need to dismantle what has gone before”. Later in the interview, she says that it is her hope that all readers will take away one of her central suggestions, namely “to implement regular wellbeing assessments as a proactive policy designed to monitor and support the mental and emotional health of library staff and patrons”.

This book addresses an important topic, and I believe it could be of particular value as a resource for managers, although much of the content will be of interest to librarians at any stage in their career. The topics discussed are applicable to library teams working in all sectors.

It is not necessarily a book to be read from cover to cover. I would recommend reading the core chapters and then focussing on the sections that are relevant to you, especially the very useful and thought-provoking activities and reflections.