As discussed elsewhere in this toolkit, we advocate for seeing library programs related to substance use disorder as shaped by a community of practice. In other words, the most impactful program you will be able to do around this topic will most likely involve partners, volunteers, and others in your community working with you.
To give you and your community some starting points in program design, this section shares some examples of the type of programming public libraries and their partners achieve in urban, suburban, small town, and rural communities. Each example concludes with actionable take-aways you can get started to start programs in your community.
Urban example
Read to Recovery – San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) – Since 2023, SFPL and its partners have been providing free addiction recovery materials to the public. According to the library’s website, The program owes its genesis to a partnership with other governmental agencies. In particular, city Supervisor (or city councilor) Matt Dorsey released in 2022 his plan, SF Recovers, which outlined how City departments might coordinate addiction recovery efforts in San Francisco. That led the library to partner with Supervisor Dorsey’s office to explore inter-governmental collaboration. In Fall 2024, the Mayor signed into law legislation that expanded the funding for this effort. Take-away: Ensure that your local elected officials are aware that you and the library want to be part of local efforts to address substance use disorder issues.
Suburban example
Recovery Corner – Plymouth Public Library is located south of Boston and is part of the Boston Metro Area. Its Recovery Corner launched around 2022 with the goal of providing low-barrier access to information on substance use disorder, treatment options and centers, as well as harm reduction centers and supplies. Rather than look for materials to place in the recovery corner, the library stocks and maintains the corner through community partnerships, including with treatment centers, youth prevention collaboratives, peer recovery centers, and a harm reduction center. Each of these community partners brings something different to the table. Librarian Maureen Coleman said “The youth prevention collaborative gave us access to children’s books, wellness workbooks for teens, and resource booklets that are helpful to all but specifically for teens.” Take-away: Coleman tells librarians interested in emulating their program “The best advice for starting an initiative like this is to identify and connect with area community organizations doing this work. Those relationships lead to others and become key in providing libraries with materials and partnerships that can sustain this type of initiative for the long term at low or no cost. Working together is a way for these organizations to see what the library can offer, whether that be a meeting room, a Recovery Corner, or developing a program.”
Small town example
Read to Recovery and A New Chapter Book Discussion Group – Located in upstate New York and serving a community of about 30,000, the Saratoga Springs Public Library set aside a small corner of its second floor to a discreet area within “the stacks” to provide the community with low-barrier access to recovery resources and harm reduction. Everything in the Read to Recovery section of the library stacks is free to take, no questions asked, thus lowering the stigma of being seen checking out materials. In a small town, where “everybody knows everybody” the stigma of being seen needing help can keep some from accessing resources. This simple strategy addresses that stigma. The initiative launched in May 2024. The ongoing funding of this initiative requires a wide variety of both named and unnamed donors, including everyone from the county Department of Health to the local Casino Foundation. Individuals can also anonymously donate to support the work on the library’s website. The success of Read to Recovery has led to opportunities for the library to even more pro-actively support this topic. The library now also works with Healing Springs Recovery Center to offer a book discussion group that functions as a safe space for people in the recovery community to meet and connect, but all are welcome to attend. You can see past selections on the library website, and those who run the book club take pains to emphasize that you don’t have to read the book to participate, you’re welcome to share thoughts, just listen, knit, doodle, move around, have a snack or engage in the group however it makes sense. The Recovery Center adds to the collaboration by sharing their expertise on best practices meeting those in recovery where they are. Take-away: It takes a village. Cast a wide new when looking for potential partners. You may find that local foundations are eager to support your efforts to make a difference, and once you’ve started one initiative, it may lead to new opportunities as your library becomes more visible within the recovery community.
Rural example
Library Big Read: Bottled – The Ashe County and Wilkes County Public Libraries are part of the Appalachian Regional Library System, serving a mostly rural region in Northwestern North Carolina. In 2019, the library’s big read focused on Dana Bowman’s Bottled: A Mom’s Guide to Early Recovery, featuring her story of recovery but also highlighting community stories of recovery with an accompanying art exhibit highlighting local voices. As part of the Big Read, the library worked with partners to host Nar-Anon (Narcotics Anonymous) Interest Meetings, mindfulness and meditation classes, and discussions about managing stress without abusing substances. The library said the success of the program came when community members saw substance use disorder in a new light, with some program participants identifying for the first time in their lives that they have a disorder and need help. Take-away: Use library traditions like community big reads, book clubs, book displays and other bread-and-butter library programs as opportunities to highlight, discuss, and destigmatize substance use disorders.