With the testing season in full swing, students often feel overwhelmed by exams, creating the inability to find time to relax. Even something as simple as choosing a book can become stressful when faced with the library’s endless shelves of options. To do their part in combating stress, McLean’s library puts a new and thoughtful initiative on the shelf for Stress Less Week.

Stress Less Week is a district-wide initiative to support student mental health. In addition to the crochet stress pets currently up for adoption in student services, the library now offers comfort in the form of curated book displays designed to promote relaxation and self-care.

The library has organized two special book tables at the front, one labeled Escape into a Book and the other Expand your Toolbox. The first table features lighthearted, high-interest books picked to give students a mental break from exam season.

“They are just those kinds of pleasure reads that everyone will find enjoyable,” head librarian Lisa Koch said.

Meanwhile, Expand Your Toolbox displays focus on mental health and wellness. These books offer strategies for handling stress, managing emotions and building resilience.

Both types of tables are set up to make the process of choosing a book less overwhelming. By spreading the books out over open tables, the library removes the pressure of scanning stacked shelves and gives each book the individualism the cover offers.

“We know that our students are really busy, so that’s why they’re brought out, so students have more easy access,” Koch said.

The current books will be out for the rest of the week, then a new rotation of fiction books will come out on Monday. This way, all readers will have an opportunity to examine what interests them.

“Finding that time to have a little more time for yourself to pleasure read and enjoy a book,” Koch said, “is really going to help you have more balance and feel mentally relaxed.”