Understanding how suburban public librarians respond to the health and social needs of communities

Abstract

Existing research in urban and rural contexts has found that community members use public libraries to access needed information and resources to improve health and wellbeing; however, little is known about the social and health needs of patrons in suburban public libraries. In this study, 95 staff from 32 public libraries in two contiguous suburban counties were interviewed to understand perceived health and social needs of their patrons. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. The top needs identified were mental health, exercise, diet/nutrition, technology literacy, housing, and employment. Library staff described responding to patrons' intersecting health and social needs despite not having had formal training to do so. Engaging social workers, public health educators, and health care professionals in the public library space may be one way for librarians to respond to the health and social needs of patrons using evidence-based tools and best practices.