Librarian, grief advocate and dedicated volunteer, Luming Zhang, curated the Mandarin section of the Grievers Library’s “Global” collection.
图书管理员、悲伤倡导者和敬业的志愿者张鲁明 (Luming Zhang) 负责悲伤者图书馆“全球”馆藏的普通话部分。
University of Washington MLIS Graduate Develops Culturally Grounded Support for Mandarin-Speaking Grievers
In a groundbreaking initiative, the Grievers Library has unveiled the first and only grief resource collection in Mandarin across the English-speaking world. This project, developed by Luming Zhang, a recent graduate of the University of Washington’s Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program, aims to provide culturally relevant and accessible grief support to Mandarin-speaking communities in the United States.
The Grievers Library, a volunteer-run nonprofit, offers free grief books and online resources to individuals experiencing loss. The organization’s mission is to provide bibliotherapy to those living with grief, offering comfort, information, inspiration, and hope. www.grieverslibrary.org
Zhang’s personal experience of losing her grandmother while being thousands of miles away highlighted the absence of grief resources that resonate with Mandarin-speaking individuals in the diaspora. In response, she curated a bilingual collection of over 70 grief resources, each accompanied by simple summaries and culturally sensitive recommendations. These resources are fully indexed in WorldCat, ensuring their availability in public libraries worldwide.
The collection addresses various themes, including parent loss, grandparent loss, mourning alone, and childhood grief. Zhang collaborated with community members, including Chinese elders, second-generation youth, and grief practitioners, to ensure the resources were culturally grounded and emotionally accessible. Feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, with one caregiver expressing gratitude upon finding a Mandarin-language picture book to read to her father.
This initiative not only fills a significant gap in grief support but also exemplifies the power of culturally grounded librarianship. It underscores the importance of recognition, trust, and healing in the language of one’s heart. As Zhang reflects, “People don’t just need information—they need to feel seen.”
For more information about the Grievers Library and to access the Mandarin-language grief resources, please visit https://www.grieverslibrary.org/global/普通话