"My Place to Get Resources and Entertain Myself When I'm Alone:" Use of Public Libraries By People with Serious Mental Illness

Background and Purpose: Libraries are a vital part of the lives of many people with serious mental illnesses (SMI). People with SMI report visiting the library around once or twice per week, compared to only 14% of the general population who visit the library on a weekly basis. People with SMI also report the library as their second-most frequented public space, after the public square. People with SMI visit the library alone, using it as a quiet space to pass time and alleviate stress. They describe the library as an empowering place where they can pursue interests, and access resources like books, computers, and WiFi. The library is also a place for general social engagement for people with SMI, and a place to present parts of their identity not related to their SMI. This study further qualitatively explores how people with SMI use the library and utilizes participatory mapping to enhance and contextualize these findings.

Methods: 34 participants with SMI and alcohol use disorders in one urban and one rural-adjacent region in the Pacific Northwest were interviewed and asked to draw maps about the places they visited most often. Participants indicated the various ways they used or thought of these places through color coding.

Results: Participants talked about libraries in three general ways: as a place for solo self-enrichment and to feel a sense of belonging, a place to access practical resources, and a place that facilitated social interaction. These findings were confirmed and expanded upon in the participatory mapping activity, where participants identified that the library was an important place for them, that the library was a place to meet their needs and provide resources, and that the library was a place where they felt a sense of belonging.

Conclusions and Implications: These findings support previous research on people with SMI’s use of libraries for solo pursuits and accessing resources and add additional detail to previous findings on the social characteristics of libraries. Specifically, we found that libraries are a place where people with SMI primarily report making new friends and interacting with acquaintances, rather than spending time with partners or family. This indicates the library plays an important role in establishing bridging connections and engaging in distal relationships, both of which are important components of community integration for people with SMI. Additionally, these participants with SMI and alcohol use disorders did not seek out libraries to address clinical needs or access social services support. This is notable given the increasing implementation of social services in libraries, a practice that could potentially impact the existing social utility of these spaces.