3 - (SYM 119) the Library Is so Much More Than Books: Considerations for the Design and Implementation of Teen Digital Mental Health Services in Public Libraries

Adolescence is a vulnerable developmental period, characterized by high rates of mental health concerns, yet few teens receive treatment. Public libraries support teens by providing them with access to technological resources and have recently been providing mental health services. Digital mental health (DMH) services may help libraries provide scalable mental health solutions for their teen patrons and could be well positioned to address the mental health needs of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic (HURE) teens and those most experiencing inequities.

Methods: In the present study, the research team formed a partnership with a public library, which serves a large HURE teen population and teens most experiencing inequities. We conducted needs assessment interviews with 17 library workers, including leadership, librarians, and workers with specialized areas of practice from a public library. The interviews focused on better understanding the library infrastructure, as well as library workers’ needs and preferences around the design and implementation of DMH services for teens.

Results: Facilitators related to function, compatibility, and reach suggest public libraries are promising settings for effective teen DMH service implementation. Library workers play an important role in guiding patrons to desired resources and share a goal of implementing teen DMH resources into the library and elevating marginalized teens’ voices. Existing library resources, the library’s close relations with other community organizations, and the availability of no-cost technological resources, could help facilitate the implementation of DMH services. Barriers related to community buy-in, mental health stigma, and library worker confidence in supporting teen mental health could affect service implementation.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest public libraries are highly promising settings to deploy DMH services for teens. We identified important barriers/facilitators that may impact the design and implementation of DMH services in public library settings. Special considerations are needed to design services to meet the mental health needs of HURE teen populations and also those teens’ most experiencing inequities.