Mindfulness has become a central concept in pedagogical innovation over the past few years. Current research findings concerning mindfulness and compassion have rekindled the discussions about central topics in education – such as the mental and physical health of students and teachers, pedagogical relationships, social-emotional learning or ethical education in a global context – and related them to the social challenges of the present.
To date, numerous scientifically grounded effects from interventions based on mindfulness have been proven, which are immensely relevant for psychology as well as education. Countless studies are now available that examine the effects of mindfulness in three general areas:
It has become evident that mindfulness can contribute many impulses and possibilities to the success of educational relationships as well as to developmental and learning processes. Along with the closely related topic of compassion, the term “mindfulness” has therefore become firmly established in the discussion on education and child development. As a result of this growing scientific interest, the University Library has established a new location for literature on this topic.
In cooperation with Project ALBUS (Mindfulness in Teacher Education and Schools ), the Education, Linguistics and Comparative Literature Library created the Mindfulness Education Library. After funding was secured in 2018, implementation took place in 2019, and since January 2020, the books from this collection have been available for borrowing as well.
The Mindfulness Education Library is located on the second basement floor of the Education, Linguistics and Comparative Literature Library at Sensengasse 3a, 1090 Vienna. All of the books available there can be read on site or borrowed to study at home. Currently, the collection encompasses 172 works, some of which are also available as e-books. The University Library strives to expand the collection continuously in order to represent the current developments in this field.
On the shelves, the physically available books can be found in three categories:
The current holdings can be accessed here:
