How Libraries Can Help Support Mental Health in Marginalized Communities

Many libraries now offer patrons, especially marginalized communities, mental health resources and support.

Mental health is as important to maintain as physical health, but it can be harder to find help and resources to support it. It can be even more difficult for people from marginalized communities to find assistance. Financial barriers and social stigmas can prevent marginalized people from seeking help when their mental health is suffering.

In recent years, however, libraries have begun offering resources to support the mental health of their communities. Since libraries are often the only place where everyone is welcome without having to spend money, they are uniquely positioned to reach out to those most in need.

There are many different ways libraries can offer mental health support to members of their communities. Maintaining a collection of books on a variety of mental health topics is the first step. Many libraries also put together recommended reading lists on mental health subjects, promoting the relevant books in their catalogs so patrons can learn about titles that may apply to their own situations. Mental Health Awareness Month, which is in May, is a common time for these sorts of lists to pop up.

Some libraries also include links to important organizations on their websites. The New Jersey State Library has compiled a list of resources online, including links to state-run mental health services as well as national organizations. The list even has links to free mental health apps and the numbers for various crisis helplines.

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Some libraries, such as Los Angeles Mission College Library and the Green River College Library, offer lists of organizations specifically aimed at marginalized communities.

While reading lists and resource links are valuable tools for patrons to access, some libraries have begun creating more active mental health resources for their communities. Those resources can vary from programs and events to support healthy living to having social workers on staff to assist patrons in crisis.

One project that endeavors to help patrons adopt a healthier lifestyle for both their physical and mental health is Let’s Move in Libraries. Inspired by Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, this project supports and promotes libraries across the United States and Canada that create programs encouraging patrons to engage in physical activity.

Maintaining a healthy body can help mental health too, especially for seniors who may struggle to exercise enough, and one of the popular programs many participating libraries offer is yoga, which can improve mental health by reducing depression and anxiety.

Let’s Move in Libraries focuses on health equity, which means they believe everyone should have the opportunity to be healthy. For many marginalized communities, poverty and discrimination can prevent people from accessing the proper tools and education needed to maintain their health. Libraries, however, serve the entire local community, so the Let’s Move programs can be accessed by anyone.

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Many state and local library systems are also creating their own programs. The Spaces to Thrive program in New York City is a partnership between The New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health designed to offer mental health resources at NYPL branches.

The goal of the program is to increase access to mental health and support for all the people of New York. Some of the services Spaces to Thrive offers are free mental health programming, a dedicated Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health section containing books on mental health, and information about citywide mental health resources and services.

In Texas, many libraries have begun offering a variety of mental health resources. For instance, the Hewitt Public Library created mental health kits containing tools such as stress balls and fidget spinners. Multiple libraries have also set aside special rooms for patrons to use.

The Pottsboro Public Library offers patrons a telehealth room for physical and mental health appointments, and the Smithville Public Library started the “Coffee with a Counselor” program, which allows patrons to use a private study room to meet with a mental health professional over coffee.

In Central Texas, the St. David’s Foundation recently began a three-year pilot program, Libraries for Health, which implements nonclinical mental health supports and practices within several Texan libraries. This initiative “employs trained and culturally competent lay people with support from mental health clinicians to help identify and address mental health concerns where there is limited access to clinical mental health care.”

The foundation chose to partner with libraries because they are trusted spaces where people already gather, allowing more people to access the resources Libraries for Health offers.

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While many mental health resources offered by libraries try to be inclusive so that marginalized communities can access them, sometimes it’s important to have programs and services aimed specifically at those communities.

In Eastern Pennsylvania, the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center partnered with four public libraries to create LGBTQ-affirming health fairs. The health fairs offered participants information about some of the health issues that affect the LGBTQ community and referrals to LGBTQ-inclusive healthcare providers. There were also keynote speakers who spoke on important health topics relevant to the LGBTQ community.

Some libraries also offer more one-on-one mental health resources for their patrons. In 2009, the San Francisco Public Library became the first library in the US to hire a social worker. Dozens of other libraries have followed suit since then. Having a social worker on staff allows the library to offer patrons consultations with professionals who can guide them to the right resources and services.

Not every library can afford social workers or special programming, however. But many libraries are aware of the mental health struggles some of their patrons are going through and want to help.

To assist with this, some libraries are encouraging their staff to get trained in mental health first aid, which can help library workers identify people who may be suffering from a mental health crisis and guide them through defusing potentially volatile situations. Sometimes, the best mental health resource is a well-trained staff member willing to listen.

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