Preparing for life events through library employee self-selected group development activities

While it is crucial to prepare for tragic and unavoidable life events, this vital endeavor may not be completed, or even initiated, due to procrastination, family disputes, or anticipatory grief. To overcome these challenges, UNC Charlotte's J. Murrey Atkins Library employees, who chose to participate in Self-Selected Group Development (SSGD) “Life Events” activities, achieved their personal-planning goals, such as purchasing term life insurance, generating home inventories, designating new power of attorney agents, and writing wills. Moreover, the group’s social component fostered camaraderie from different service areas around the library. This article presents an overview of the “Life Events” activity structure and describes the various topics, which were addressed during orientations and regular meetings. Should other librarians be inspired to organize similar activities for their colleagues, those participants committing to these worthwhile tasks will have the peace of mind knowing important plans are settled prior to an unfortunate event.