Beyond Books: Public Libraries As Partners For Population Health

Abstract

Public libraries are not usually included in discussions about improving population health. They are, however, well positioned to be partners in building a culture of health through programming that addresses the social determinants of health. The Healthy Library Initiative, a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and the Free Library of Philadelphia (the public library system that serves the city), has undertaken such efforts in Philadelphia. In this article we report findings from an assessment of how ten highly subscribed programs address the social determinants of health, as well as results of interviews with community residents and library staff. Of the 5.8 million in-person Free Library visits in 2015, 500,000 included attendance at specialized programs that addressed multiple health determinants, such as housing and literacy. Library staff provided intensive support to vulnerable populations including homeless people, people with mental illness and substance use, recent immigrants, and children and families suffering from trauma. We found that public libraries are trusted institutions that have broad population reach and untapped potential to improve population health.

Public Libraries As Partners for Health

“…Higher literacy, including health literacy, is associated with increased levels of fulltime employment, on-time high school graduation rates, and a twofold reduced risk of uncontrolled diabetes (7–9). Recent research conducted in Philadelphia showed that public libraries often engage in health-related roles that extend beyond circulation of reading materials (10–12). More than a third of inquiries to public librarians include questions about health (13).…”

“…Public libraries also serve as places of refuge for vulnerable populations, including people experiencing mental illness, homelessness, immigration challenges, and trauma (12,14,15). Library staff members regularly assist patrons who have unmet health and social needs, but feel ill-equipped to address these patron needs (12).…”

“…Library staff members regularly assist patrons who have unmet health and social needs, but feel ill-equipped to address these patron needs (12). Previous research has focused on librarians’ role in providing disease-specific consumer health information (16); however, little is known from surveys about the extent to which librarians are called on to assist patrons with social determinants of health, such as housing, employment, and education (17).…”

“Our Doors Are Open to Everybody”: Public Libraries as Common Ground for Public Health

“…In street intercept interviews with 77 residents [11], participants expressed how the city's diversity was both an asset and a challenge-and they saw a role for the library in fostering intergroup relationships and understanding. This finding was particularly compelling because of its relevance across the USA, where there are over 9000 public libraries, which host over 1.5 billion visits annually [7].…”

“…In addition to offering access to books and electronic resources, the library actively addresses the social determinants of health, offering educational, social, and cultural programming that engages more than 500,000 diverse Philadelphians annually. And library staff members are committed to answering the call for strengthening the community and its health [11]. Public libraries are particularly well-suited to this task, offering a vital common ground, and a place for cross-cultural and intergenerational dialogue-and offering hope for greater integration and tolerance in our Bhighly sorted^city.…”