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II’m the Library Director at a large community college in Santa Barbara,California. For the past three years I’ve been leading weekly and,for one semester, daily meditation sessions on campus. All students,faculty, and staff are invited to participate in “Meditation in the Library”.The purpose is two-fold: to provide a space to introduce mindfulnesspractice into the community, and to provide me with time forsitting in the middle of the workday.We typically meet in my office once a week, for twenty minutes.Fortunately, I have a large office and can easily accommodate up toeight people sitting in chairs or on the floor—though our numbers areusually two to four people per week. Each semester I invite the communityto “Meditation in the Library” by sending out a campus-wideemail message describing mindfulness meditation in a non-sectarianmanner. Though many cannot attend due to scheduling conflicts, I oftenreceive return messages from staff and faculty expressing a desire toparticipate or thanking me for providing the opportunity. In additionto the email, I usually place flyers around campus and put an ad on thestudent web portal. Since I’ve been offering the meditation sessions forthree years now, the community is coming to expect them.The room is set up with chairs facing one direction, though thereis space to sit on the floor as well. We keep the lights off, but plentyof light comes in through the windows, so it’s not completely dark. Ifnew people are present, I may start with suggestions on sitting postureand then begin a guided meditation focusing on the breath. We sit fortwenty minutes and end with one sound of a bell. A person or two mayengage in casual conversation at the end, but we generally do not sharethoughts. There are one or two regulars; the rest of the participants arerather transient due to the changing schedules of college students.On occasion, students participate to get extra credit in their PersonalDevelopment course. This course is designed to help studentsbe successful in college, and one element of success is stress management.The students earning extra credit have also invited me to speakin their class. I attempt to keep the conversation non-sectarian, but ina thirty-minute presentation to a classroom full of students, questionsabout my personal practice often arise. In these class sessions I presentmy experience with meditation and provide concrete examples toshow how meditation supports me in my work and in my relationshipswith other people. I provide details on sitting and breathing, plus opportunitiesto practice mindfulness. We end the class presentation witha five-minute guided meditation.Having “Meditation in the Library” has been very nourishingfor my practice. Reminders to practice in the work environment, andespecially making others aware that I have a regular meditation practice,help my energy level and bring awareness to my interactions withothers on campus.mindful LIVINGMeditation inthe LibraryBy Kenley Neufeldphoto by Paul DavisKenley Neufeld, True Recollection of Joy,leads the Being Peace Zendo inOjai and “Meditation in the Library”at Santa Barbara City College. He canbe reached at sangha@neuhouse.com.the Mindfulness Bell 29