Inspiration report
Promoting Well-Being Through Break Time Photographer and Walking Activities
Summary
The Break Time Photographer and Walking Activities initiative at the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) aimed to promote staff well-being through creative, self-directed activities. Based on the concerns over workplace stress, as a well-being committee member, I designed and launched the Walking Timer project to encourage staff to walk during breaks and log their activity in a shared spreadsheet. The program evolved into the Break-Time Photographer initiative, inviting staff to share photos taken during walks via a QR code-linked Google Form. These images are displayed in a gallery widget on the INFO 287 blog, turning break walks into storytelling opportunities that reduce stress and build community. This well-being activity also promotes interval walking training, a health-boosting method alternating slow and fast walking. The design idea emphasizes user participation, creativity, and technology. It showcases leadership in promoting well-being and connection among staff, enhancing the library’s culture through physical activity, artistic expression, and digital engagement.
As a member of the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) well-being committee, I am passionate about and care about the library profession’s sustainability. According to Topper, stress in the library workplace is a significant concern, with sources ranging from interpersonal conflicts to inadequate physical environments (2007). To address this, the SFPL provides excellent activities, resources, programs, and benefits to support the SFPL staff’s well-being (Better Every Day, 2025).
Design Process
1. Narrative Inquiry (NI): according to Stephens (2020), narrative inquiry is a research method that explores the lived experiences of individuals by collecting and interpreting their personal stories. This approach centers around the idea that storytelling is a powerful tool for understanding how people make sense of their world and experiences during the early stage of design preparation. I interviewed my colleagues to gather information and survey the overall interest. First, I interviewed an experienced well-being committee member, Yoon, who provided me with the resources and process of proposing a well-being activity. Second, I interviewed my colleagues to understand their interests and to evaluate how the approach would take the least effort and most fun for them. Third, I interviewed my supervisor, Ayaan, to report my plan and seek advice and support.
2. Overcame technical challenges: Based on the NI, my supervisor was very supportive to my project. We created a share folder through the SFPL share dive and testing the QR code to upload picture from our phone. However, we found that the work share drive has limited access and I redirected the google form to my SJSU email and allowed the Break Time Photographer to upload pictures to my SJSU drive.
Better Every Day--Walking
Working at a small branch, the library staff takes turn to take a break. I noticed that most of the library staff takes a walk during their break time. I started to brainstorm to design an activity for everyone to participate at their own pace and self-direct. I thought about the concept of participatory, and in March, I designed an activity called Walking Timer, which was inspired by the Sleep for Better Health Champion to bring awareness to the SFPL staff at my branch (2025). I invited my colleagues to edit a shared Excel spreadsheet after taking a walk during their break time.
Well-Being
Moreover, along with the Break-Time Photographer’s flyer, I shared a walking technique called Interval Walking Training. According to Dr. Masuki Shizue’s interval walking technique, which alternates between slow and fast walking to lower diastolic blood pressure and enhance overall health, the initiative promotes effective walking practices (NHK WORLD-JAPAN, 2024). This method is particularly beneficial for middle-aged and older adults, offering a practical way to improve health outcomes and reduce medical costs (2017). Library staff are encouraged to log their walking time and share photos of their experiences, creating a platform for storytelling through imagery. This approach allows staff to unwind and strengthens interpersonal connections by sharing their unique perspectives.
Explore and experiment
- First, I used Adobe Express to design a flyer called “Break Time Photographer and added a QR Code for submitting the photo through Google Forms.
- Then, I tested with my family to see if the QR code for the flyer and Google submissions worked.
- I created a Break-Time Photographer gallery widget on the INFO 287 blog sidebar for showcase the submitted photos.
Go for a power walk and capture a meaningful moment! Release your talent!
By the end of March 2025, I updated my well-being activity by designing a flyer to post in the staff break-room to invite and encourage the library staff to participate. I shared this idea to the library colleagues and encourage them to share the photos that they take during their break time walking.
Storytelling: A Picture worth a thousand words
This activity aims to reduce stress, improve physical health, and foster community engagement among library staff. Since a picture says a thousand words, I encourage the library staff to share the story through the image that they capture during the break time walking. Taking walks during break time allows individuals to be mentally and physically decompressed. Using a cell phone to capture beauty and meaningful moments to share with others is a way of storytelling.
User Participation
As Michael and Casey addressed the concept of user participation enriching the library program and services, the library staff can also benefit from participating by using employee resources (2007). My design of the well-being flyer also draws inspiration from NC State Libraries’ My #HuntLibrary project and StoryCorps’ storytelling initiatives (State, 2025; Eberhart, 2018). My #HuntLibrary (2025) utilized crowdsourced image submissions to foster community ownership, while StoryCorps emphasized preserving personal stories (Eberhart, 2018). Similarly, the Break Time Photographer flyer incorporates a QR code for easy photo sharing, enabling staff to contribute to a collective narrative of their walking experiences. This digital tool enhances participation and engagement, leveraging technology to connect colleagues.
Conclusion:
The Break Time Photographer activity addresses workplace stress holistically by combining physical activity, creative expression, and storytelling. Designing and promoting this well-being activity is important to demonstrate my leadership in promoting a culture of well-being, using innovative design and technology to inspire and connect library staff and ultimately create a healthier and more supportive work environment.
References:
Topper, E. F. (2007). Stress in the library workplace. New Library World, 108(11), 561. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074800710838290
Johnson, B. (2023). Using The Physical Academic Library to Cope with Academic Stress. Journal of Library Outreach & Engagement, 3, 35–49. https://doi.org/10.21900/j.jloe.v3.956
Stephens, M. (2020, April 9). Office Hours: Narrative Inquiry – Tame the Web. Tametheweb.com. https://tametheweb.com/2020/04/09/office-hours-narrative-inquiry/
Better Every Day. (2025). San Francisco Health Service System. https://sfhss.org/well-being
NHK WORLD-JAPAN. (2024, April 24). New Findings on Walking and Running - Medical Frontiers. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z71aHZ4scMs
Sleep for Better Health. (2025). San Francisco Health Service System. https://sfhss.org/sleep-campaign
Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0 : A guide to participatory library service. Information Today, Inc..
Masuki, S., Morikawa, M., & Nose, H. (2017). Interval Walking Training Can Increase Physical Fitness in Middle-Aged and Older People. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 45(3), 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1249/JES.0000000000000113
Eberhart, G. M. (2018). Sharing People’s Stories: StoryCorp Partners With Public Libraries.
State, C. (2025). My #HuntLibrary. Ncsu.edu. https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/projects/my-huntlibrary