A library staff member who attended a recent national library conference briefed the Sweet Home Public Library Board on five sessions that the staff said were most relevant to local services: harm reduction, bibliotherapy/reader’s advisory, reading groups, outreach and marketing, and libraries and social connections.

“Harm reduction probably was the best presentation that we went to,” the staff member said, adding that presenters described harm reduction broadly — “a seat belt is harm reduction. Having fentanyl test strips is harm reduction and everything in between.” The staff member outlined current local practices that align with harm-reduction principles: providing hygiene products, snacks and menstrual supplies in restrooms, offering “boredom busters” for teens, and placing a sharps container in a bathroom.

On bibliotherapy, the staff member said the conference discussion emphasized caution about therapeutic claims tied to assigned reading. “They were basically saying don't do bibliotherapy,” the staff member said, and instead the library practices reader’s advisory — staff recommend titles based on a patron’s interests without promising therapeutic outcomes.

Reading groups and community book programs were discussed as tools for community engagement. The presenter said Sweet Home runs a quarterly community read and would like to expand offerings (tween, teen and adult groups) but cited staff time and variable school support as constraints. The staff member also noted national funding risks for some programs: “funding for that comes from the IMLS, which in one of the current budget proposals at the national level is going to be completely defunded,” a concern that could affect programs tied to Institute of Museum and Library Services grants.

On outreach and marketing, conference presenters advised partnering with local employers, other libraries and hiring dedicated outreach staff or mobile services to meet people where they are. The staff member said Sweet Home is using social media, the chamber calendar and in-building signage but still struggles to reach some residents.

The staff member also described a grant application submitted to a health consortium serving Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties that would fund harm-reduction themed collections: multiple copies for checkout plus extra copies patrons could take even without a card, and potentially free Narcan or test strips where appropriate to community need. The staff member said decisions about specific materials and services would depend on each participating library’s community.

“It's what is most important and necessary in your own community,” the staff member said of harm reduction, and told the board the proposal’s award notification could come by the 27th of the month.

The board discussed training for staff to handle interactions with people using substances and the need for additional outreach capacity, and the staff member said prior trainings (for example, offered by White Bird Clinic) helped staff learn how different substances affect behavior and how to approach people safely.

Board members asked about little free libraries and reported they are being used actively; staff said some locations are “decimated” within hours of restocking. The staff member invited board members to review conference slides and follow up with questions.