How Public Libraries Help Immigrants Adjust to Life in a New Country: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Public library programs and services offer opportunities to help immigrants navigate daily life in unfamiliar surroundings and a new language. For example, language classes address the social determinants of health as they encourage social participation and community ties and help develop friendships. The purpose of this research was to conduct a narrative literature review to understand how immigrants use public libraries and how public library services influence the social determinants of health for immigrant populations. Keyword searches were conducted on five databases to identify research papers that met the inclusion criteria: empirical studies published in English between 2000 and 2020 related to immigrants’ use of public libraries. Thirty-one articles were included in the analysis. Thematic coding identified cross-cutting themes within the sample using the framework of the social-ecological model. Immigrants commonly use public libraries for programs (e.g., language learning), collections (e.g., borrowing books), and services (e.g., asking librarians questions). Immigrant patrons often reported satisfaction with library programs, services, and collections in the language of the host country. A frequent criticism was the relevance and accessibility of collections in their heritage language. In addition, library staff demographics often did not reflect those of immigrant patrons. Health-enhancing benefits associated with library use included increased confidence and self-esteem, cultural integration and preservation, trust and relationships (e.g., making friends), community awareness and engagement, and political integration. Future research and practice areas include collaboration between public health and library professionals to develop library programming that maximizes health and well-being among immigrants.

Keywords

international/cross-cultural health minority health social determinants of health access to health care

Some scholars estimate that social and environmental factors, individual behavior, and access to health care may have a greater impact on individual and community health outcomes than genetic predisposition to disease (Schroeder, 2007). These conditions are called the social determinants of health (Artiga & Hinton, 2018. The social determinants of health are commonly grouped into six domains: (1) economic stability (e.g., employment), (2) neighborhood and the physical environment (e.g., transportation), (3) education (e.g., language and literacy), (4) food (e.g., access to healthy options), (5) community and social context (e.g., social integration), and (6) the health care system (e.g., health coverage; Artiga & Hinton, 2018; Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020). These factors can influence not only individual health but also population-level outcomes such as health care costs as well as mortality and morbidity (Artiga & Hinton, 2018; Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020). Public libraries, often overlooked by public health professionals, serve as community places that address the social determinants of health in their programs and services and reach diverse populations (Philbin et al., 2019). The social-ecological model (SEM) is a useful organizing framework for the social determinants of health, which often interact at multiple levels (Reno & Hyder, 2018).

Immigration status is highly associated with social inequalities and can affect behavioral choices and access to health services (Castañeda et al., 2015). Immigration influences the social determinants of health as immigrants navigate behavioral (e.g., individual health choices), cultural (e.g., social ties and norms, impact of race and ethnicity on health-related behaviors), and structural (e.g., health care access, living and working conditions as a result of immigration status) factors. Some scholars have argued that immigration itself should be considered a social determinant of health (Castañeda et al., 2015).

The number of international migrants, or immigrants, worldwide has increased dramatically in recent years (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019). In 2019, there were approximately 272 million migrants, compared with 220 million in 2010 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019). Immigrants comprise a diverse group of people who come from many countries, speak different languages, and migrate for a variety of reasons.

Many factors influence how immigrants identify trusted information sources, seek and understand information, access health care, and develop supportive social networks. Examples of factors that affect how immigrants adjust to life in a new country are acculturation (Castañeda et al., 2015; Rollins & Hauck, 2015), language ability (Caidi et al., 2010; Odunukan et al., 2015; Shannon et al., 2016), and health literacy (Arndt, 2016; Berkman et al., 2011; Parker et al., 2003).

Due to the far-ranging effects of the social determinants of health on health outcomes, public health has promoted the importance of addressing health in nonhealth sectors (Artiga & Hinton, 2018). Public libraries are well positioned to assist immigrant patrons in seeking health information, developing literacy, and adjusting to life in a new country (Arndt, 2016; Morgan et al., 2018). Libraries have a long-established role of addressing the informational, educational, and social needs of diverse immigrant groups (Cuban, 2007; Wiegand, 2015). For example, in the 1870s, public libraries in Chicago and Cincinnati had extensive collections of newspapers from all over the world so that the large immigrant population in these cities could use the library as an information resource (Wiegand, 2015). In recent years, public librarians have noted an increasing need for services tailored to immigrants (Carlton, 2018).

Although many or even most adults view libraries as places where people primarily borrow books (e.g., De Rosa et al., 2014), libraries offer a much wider range of resources and services. Many libraries include programs related to technology (Lankes et al., 2007), which can help immigrants maintain global relationships with friends and family and search for information, both generally and specifically related to health. Additionally, through educational programs such as language and citizenship classes, public libraries can help immigrants develop confidence and build social relationships when navigating life in a new country (Audunson, 2016; Clay, 2009; Sirikul & Dorner, 2016; van der Linden et al., 2014).

Organizational Framework

The authors used the SEM to organize the social determinants of health as the SEM interacts at different, nested levels (i.e., individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and political; Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020; Sallis & Owen, 2015). The SEM posits that environmental and social factors, including the social determinants of health, can significantly influence health outcomes, perhaps more than individual behaviors (Sallis & Owen, 2015). In this study, the SEM was used as a framework to identify which level of interaction and social influence each article focused on and to summarize which SEM levels are the focus of existing scholarly research in order to identify which levels could be beneficial areas for future research and practice.

Purpose

As a group of public library and public health professionals, the authors were excited by the possibility of collaboration. With the increasing number of studies focusing on how public library services and materials relate to the social determinants of health (e.g., Morgan et al., 2016; Philbin et al., 2019), it is important to review and synthesize these findings in a narrative literature review. The primary objective of this study was to critically analyze the scholarly literature on the role of public libraries in influencing immigrants’ health outcomes using, the SEM as a lens to answer the following research questions:

What are the characteristics of immigrant public library users, and how do they use the library?

What are immigrant patrons’ perceptions of library programs and services?

How do public libraries help immigrants to acculturate and to address the social determinants of health?

Findings from this study inform suggestions for future library practice and areas for future research on the topic.

Method

Search and Eligibility Criteria

This study is a narrative literature review. Narrative literature reviews are useful for synthesizing and identifying gaps in the existing literature on a topic (Ferrari, 2015; Grant & Booth, 2009). The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were applied as a framework for developing this review, as these guidelines are widely utilized and well tested as structural frameworks for in-depth literature reviews (Jahan et al., 2016; Kannisto et al., 2014; Moher et al., 2009). Searches were conducted in five databases: CINAHL, PubMed, Library Literature & Information Science (H. W. Wilson), Library & Information Sciences Abstracts (LISA), and Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA). To capture a wide range of articles across databases, keyword or categorical search terms “immigra*” and “librar*” were used depending on the database. Inclusion criteria for articles were (1) peer-reviewed articles (2) published in English (3) between January 1, 2000, and February 29, 2020, with (4) original or empirical data collection, (5) a sample that included an immigrant population, (6) and the setting was a public library. Article inclusion was not restricted by geographical location. The reference lists of the articles included in the study and Google Scholar’s “cited by” function for included articles were used to identify additional articles. Searches took place in August 2018, January–February 2019, and February 2020.

Study Selection

These searches retrieved 810 unique articles, which were reviewed for relevance of the title and abstract. Based on the review of the abstracts, 667 articles were eliminated for not meeting one or more of the inclusion criteria—academic library (n = 84), related to archives or collections (n = 92), librarian professional development (n = 59), no immigrant population in the sample (n = 65), no library setting (n = 51), no original or empirical data collected (n = 114), review or case study (n = 61), not in English (n = 4), generally not related (n = 137).

After a full-text review of the remaining 143 articles, another 112 were eliminated—academic library (n = 7), related to archives or collections (n = 5), librarian professional development (n = 6), no immigrant population in the sample (n = 13), no library setting (n = 26), no original or empirical data collected (n = 11), review or case study (n = 44)—leaving 31 articles for analysis. Figure 1 outlines the identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion process for these articles.

Figure 1

Flow Diagram According to PRISMA Guidelines for the Identification, Screening, Eligibility, and Inclusion of Studies in the Sample

Article Abstraction and Coding

The lead author created a coding sheet in Qualtrics to guide the data collection process. Information abstracted from each article included bibliographic information (i.e., journal name, publication date, author names), sample information (i.e., sample population and size, study location, sampling methods), the epistemological approach (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods), and a description of the methods (e.g., focus groups). Study aims, findings, and recommendations, and the article’s relationship to the social determinants of health were also coded using open text box responses. For studies that included data from immigrant populations, additional descriptive characteristics were captured, including length of time in host country, age, educational level, and language of data collection.

Analysis

Data were analyzed using NVivo Software Version 12 (QSR International). Inductive coding was used to create themes and to establish patterns in the data (Thomas, 2006). These themes were open coded as nodes nested hierarchically into “parent” and “child” nodes. The lead author conducted the primary analysis, with all the authors collaborating to develop and finalize the search terms and coding guidelines. The goal of thematic coding was to use the data to investigate each of the three research questions: (1) immigrant public library users’ characteristics and library use, (2) immigrants’ perceptions of public library programs and services, and (3) how public libraries help immigrants adjust to life in a new country and address the social determinants of health. Inductive coding of the latent content identified the SEM as a useful organizing framework to structure the study results.

Results

A summary of key characteristics of each article is included in Supplemental Table 1 (available in the online version of the journal). All but two articles (n = 29) were published in library and information science journals; the remaining two were published in interdisciplinary journals. Since 2013, at least one article has been published on the topic each year, with the highest number published in 2008 and 2016 (n = 5 each year). While many studies used qualitative methods (n = 18), other studies used quantitative methods (n = 7) and mixed methods (n = 6).

Sample sizes ranged from very small qualitative studies with three participants to very large quantitative studies with more than 150,000 participants. Most articles included an immigrant sample (n = 27), and a summary of their characteristics is given in Supplemental Table 2 (available in the online version of the journal). Of these 27 articles, 16 exclusively had an immigrant population as the sample, and 11 articles included a second population (e.g., librarians, the general population). Only four articles did not include an immigrant population and instead focused on other populations (e.g., librarians, library directors). Most studies took place in North America, specifically in the United States (n = 12) and Canada (n = 6). Other study locations included Norway (n = 4), New Zealand (n = 3), Australia (n = 2), as well as Sweden, Czech Republic, Israel, and England, which were represented by one article each.

The SEM organized the findings to explain how public libraries addressed the social determinants of health for immigrant populations, as illustrated in Figure 2. All the articles (n = 31) discussed the organizational level (i.e., library services and programs; physical library space). At the individual level, the articles described how public libraries increased confidence and self-esteem and helped with cultural integration and preservation (n = 26). The community level, specifically how public libraries respond to community needs and conduct community outreach, was also commonly discussed (n = 23). The role of public libraries in enhancing family relationships and building trust and relationships highlighted their impact at the interpersonal level (n = 19). The least discussed level was the political level (n = 6), and articles mentioned how public libraries assist with political integration and serve as a foundation for political engagement. Articles mentioned between two and five levels of the SEM. Six articles mentioned two levels, 11 articles discussed three levels, 10 articles described four levels, and four articles included all five levels of the SEM.

Figure 2

Social-Ecological Model Showing How Public Libraries Address the Social Determinants of Health for Immigrant Populations

Immigrant Public Library User Characteristics and Library Use

Of the 27 articles that included an immigrant population, several (n = 7) did not mention the length of time the sample had spent in the host country. More than half (n = 15) indicated a wide time range (e.g., at least 3 months, 2 weeks to 30 years), and the narrowest range of time was 0 to 30 months. Likewise, participant ages ranged from 14 years to over 65 years. While some studies included a narrower age range (e.g., between 31 and 40 years of age), others included a wider range (e.g., 17 years to over 65 years). Most studies focused on immigrant populations exclusively; however, 2 studies included participants who were not foreign born, including one U.S. study with two participants from Puerto Rico and one study in Israel that included Israeli-born respondents of Ethiopian and former Soviet Union descent.

Twelve studies included samples from three or more countries from different geographic regions (e.g., European, African, and Asian countries). Some studies focused on populations from multiple countries in distinct world regions, including immigrants from Latin America (n = 4), Asia (n = 2), and the Middle East (n = 1). One study compared differences in public library use between immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia. The remaining studies included populations from one country of origin, for example, Ghana (n = 2), Japan (n = 2), Poland (n = 1), Russia (n = 1), and Thailand (n = 1).

Immigrants reported hearing about the public library through word-of-mouth from friends and family (n = 7; Fisher et al., 2004; Listwon & Sen, 2009; Nekolová et al., 2016; Shepherd et al., 2018; van der Linden et al., 2014; Vårheim, 2011, 2014b). However, promoting the library at community events, such as local festivals, was another strategy to raise awareness of the public library (n = 2; Vårheim, 2011, 2014b).

There was discrepancy related to the frequency of immigrants’ use of library services. Some studies reported frequent library use of at least once a month (Nekolová et al., 2016) or at least once a week (Asher & Case, 2008; Shepherd et al., 2018). Conversely, one study reported that immigrants rarely used the library (Atiso et al., 2018), and another found that many immigrants had not used the library in the past 6 months (Bala & Adkins, 2004). While the reason for this discrepancy is not evident, it is possible that library use varies depending on the country of origin (Audunson et al., 2011; Burke, 2008a, 2008b; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008). It is also possible that immigrant library use varies among host countries.

Library use also varied depending on the length of time spent in the host country (Audunson et al., 2011; Hosoya-Neale, 2016; Khoir et al., 2015; Sirikul & Dorner, 2016; van der Linden et al., 2014). Libraries were perceived to be especially useful early in the settlement process (Khoir et al., 2015), helping reduce home sicknesses and loneliness. Library use also varied depending on immigrants’ ages, as younger populations used the library more frequently and older populations used the library less frequently (Hosoya-Neale, 2016; Listwon & Sen, 2009; Nekolová et al., 2016).

By far, the most common type of use was for library materials (n = 17). Participants borrowed books, CDs, DVDs, and other materials in both their heritage language and the language of the host country (Audunson et al., 2011; Branyon, 2017; Burke, 2008a; Fisher et al., 2004; Hosoya-Neale, 2016; Khoir et al., 2015; Khoir et al., 2017; Listwon & Sen, 2009; Paola Picco, 2008; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008; van der Linden et al., 2014; Vårheim, 2014b). Parents of young children spent time with their children in the library (Nekolová et al., 2016; Vårheim, 2011) and helped their children with language acquisition and social integration (Branyon, 2017; Fisher et al., 2004; Nomura & Caidi, 2013). Borrowing children’s books was a way for parents to interact with their children (Hosoya-Neale, 2016; Vårheim, 2014b) and learn the language themselves (Audunson et al., 2011).

Immigrants attended a variety of library programs, especially those tailored to their needs. The most common programs were language courses and conversation groups in the host country’s language, including French (Paola Picco, 2008), English (Khoir et al., 2015; Khoir et al., 2017; Vårheim, 2011), Hebrew (Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008), Swedish (Johnston, 2016), and Norwegian (Johnston, 2019; Johnston & Audunson, 2019). Popular children’s programs included story time (Vårheim, 2011) and homework help (van der Linden et al., 2014; Vårheim, 2014a). Professional development programs such as job preparation workshops (Paola Picco, 2008), computer skills workshops (Vårheim, 2011), and TOEFL preparation classes (Branyon, 2017) were also mentioned.

Immigrants also asked reference questions and sought leisure reading recommendations (Audunson et al., 2011; Dali, 2013; Vårheim, 2014b). Other popular library services included using the library as a place to study or read (n = 6; Hosoya-Neale, 2016; Khoir et al., 2017; Nekolová et al., 2016; Shepherd et al., 2018; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008; Sirikul & Dorner, 2016) and using computers and the internet (n = 6; Bala & Adkins, 2004; Listwon & Sen, 2009; Nekolová et al., 2016; Shepherd et al., 2018; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008; van der Linden et al., 2014), especially keyboards with characters from the immigrants’ heritage language (n = 2; Bala & Adkins, 2004; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008).

Immigrants’ Perceptions of Public Library Programs and Services

Overall, immigrants were satisfied with public library programs and services. They were grateful to have a place to borrow books and other materials for free or at a reduced cost (Hosoya-Neale, 2016; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008). There was a generally positive response to collections in the language of the host country, enabling immigrants to improve their language skills and learn more about the culture in their new country (Khoir et al., 2015; Khoir et al., 2017; Shepherd et al., 2018; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008; van der Linden et al., 2014). However, there was widespread criticism of multicultural library collections. When comparing the Russian and Amharic library collections in Israeli libraries, Shoham and Rabinovich (2008) noted that there were more materials in Russian than in Amharic. Japanese immigrants in Toronto could not find Japanese materials in every branch (Nomura & Caidi, 2013), and Spanish immigrants in a medium-sized Ontario city reported visiting three library branches before they found Spanish language collections (van der Linden et al., 2014). The most common criticism of multilingual library collections was that the materials were perceived as outdated and not interesting and/or relevant (Hosoya-Neale, 2016; Listwon & Sen, 2009; Nekolová et al., 2016; Nomura & Caidi, 2013; Sirikul & Dorner, 2016; van der Linden et al., 2014). Only one study prioritized developing multilingual collections (Audunson et al., 2011), and libraries throughout the English-speaking provinces of Canada were reported to lack consensus about whether to expand, maintain, reduce, or remove their multilingual collections (Dilevko & Dali, 2002).

Library programs were often the first point of library contact for immigrants, who then often started using other library services. Participants in English as a second language, computer, or citizenship classes in Colorado reported that the classes were useful and flexible, as they could attend them when their work schedules allowed it (Vårheim, 2014b). Students in a public library–public school English as a second language program collaboration reported increased feelings of belonging and community awareness as they viewed the public library as a safe place (Rodriguez, 2019). Immigrants used library classes open to the general public less frequently due to a lack of awareness as well as the knowledge that they could approach librarians with specific questions (e.g., about résumé writing; van der Linden et al., 2014).

There was agreement that creating a welcoming environment in the library through friendly, patient, and helpful staff was important (Fisher et al., 2004; Sirikul & Dorner, 2016). In one study, immigrants reported that some librarians would go out of their way to help patrons with information requests; however, other librarians were perceived as less helpful and friendly (Bala & Adkins, 2004; van der Linden et al., 2014). Likewise, for Russian speakers in the Toronto area, reading was a common pastime, and patrons expected that Reader’s Advisory interactions with librarians would create a shared exchange of stories and reading preferences, but their expectations were unmet (Dali, 2013).

While some libraries reported hiring, or trying to hire, library staff who spoke immigrants’ home languages, some immigrants preferred communicating in the language of the host culture. For example, participants of a language class in Norway reported that this was the only opportunity for them to practice Norwegian (Johnston & Audunson, 2019), and in the Czech Republic, immigrants got frustrated with librarians who preferred to communicate in English rather than Czech (Nekolová et al., 2016). Several studies reported that low proficiency in the language of the host country affected communication with librarians, specifically the level of comfort when asking librarians questions (Asher & Case, 2008; Atiso et al., 2018; Bala & Adkins, 2004; Nekolová et al., 2016; Nomura & Caidi, 2013; Sirikul & Dorner, 2016; van der Linden et al., 2014).

Two studies noted that immigrants did not use the library because they believed they could not get a library card and also had transportation issues (Asher & Case, 2008; Yoo-Lee et al., 2016). One study reported that not having a library in the neighborhood was a barrier to use (Nekolová et al., 2016); however, two studies noted that distance to the library did not affect use (Burke, 2008b; Hosoya-Neale, 2016).

How Public Libraries Help Immigrants Adjust to Life in a New Country

All the articles described ways in which libraries helped immigrants adjust to life in a new country (e.g., related to the social determinants of health), and one article specifically focused on accessing health information (Yoo-Lee et al., 2016). Five themes arose on this topic: (1) confidence and self-esteem, (2) trust and relationships, (3) cultural integration and preservation, (4) community awareness and engagement, and (5) political integration.

Confidence and Self-Esteem

Fourteen articles discussed how the public library improved immigrants’ confidence and self-esteem. Five articles addressed how public libraries helped immigrants handle stress and cope with their new surroundings (Audunson et al., 2011; Dali, 2013; Fisher et al., 2004; Shepherd et al., 2018; Vårheim, 2014b), particularly with regard to new-language acquisition (Asher & Case, 2008; Audunson et al., 2011; Branyon, 2017; Johnston, 2016, 2019; Johnston & Audunson, 2019; Khoir et al., 2017; Shepherd et al., 2018; Vårheim, 2014b). Libraries helped reduce stereotypes among both immigrants and library staff through interpersonal interactions, which served as an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to learn about other cultures (Dali, 2013; Johnston, 2019; Rodriguez, 2019; Yoo-Lee et al., 2016).

Libraries were viewed as a place that addressed a variety of literacy needs, including information literacy, academic literacy, language literacy, health literacy, children’s literature, and financial literacy (Asher & Case, 2008; Fisher et al., 2004; Khoir et al., 2015; Nomura & Caidi, 2013; Yoo-Lee et al., 2016).

Trust and Relationships

By helping immigrants to generate trust and build social relationships, public libraries helped immigrants navigate and make sense of unfamiliar surroundings. Public libraries were commonly considered a comfortable and safe space (Audunson et al., 2011; Branyon, 2017; Fisher et al., 2004; Nekolová et al., 2016; Nomura & Caidi, 2013; Shepherd et al., 2018; Vårheim, 2011, 2014b). Programs such as conversation classes enabled immigrants to make new friends (Hosoya-Neale, 2016; Johnston, 2016, 2019; Khoir et al., 2015; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008; Vårheim, 2014b, 2017). Trust developed between immigrants, with library staff, and with volunteers (Fisher et al., 2004; Johnston, 2019; Vårheim, 2014b).

Cultural Integration and Preservation

Language classes not only helped immigrants to learn the language of their new country, but the topics that arose in conversation classes helped them also to learn about their surroundings and local cultural events (Johnston, 2016; Paola Picco, 2008; Shepherd et al., 2018; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008). Library books, materials, and displays helped immigrants learn about the local culture and local cultural events (Dali, 2013; Khoir et al., 2015; Nekolová et al., 2016; Shepherd et al., 2018; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008).

However, most librarians were equally interested in helping immigrants preserve their heritage culture via multicultural collections and access to computers and newspapers (Khoir et al., 2017; Shepherd et al., 2018; Shoham & Rabinovich, 2008). Additionally, children’s books in the heritage language helped parents teach their children their heritage language (Nomura & Caidi, 2013). Generally, libraries were perceived as a place that served as a “bridge between the immigrants’ culture, history, and experiences from their country of origin and the new country” (Audunson et al., 2011, p. 224).

Community Awareness and Engagement

The library was a place where immigrants connected with and increased awareness of communities in their host country (Listwon & Sen, 2009; Rodriguez, 2019; Shepherd et al., 2018). Some libraries conducted extensive outreach to understand community needs and to attract nonusers (Fisher et al., 2004). For example, young adult members of the Polish community in Surrey, England, expressed interest in helping the library develop its Polish collection (Listwon & Sen, 2009).

Public libraries were well situated to help immigrants with information needs, especially in the early stages of settlement (Khoir et al., 2015; van der Linden et al., 2014), as they provided a cultural context for new information systems (Boamah, 2018). Common information topics included employment (Atiso et al., 2018; Khoir et al., 2015), housing (Khoir et al., 2015), health (Bala & Adkins, 2004; Khoir et al., 2015) and everyday life activities (e.g., obtaining a driver’s license; Bala & Adkins, 2004).

Political Integration

Public library assistance with political integration was less commonly discussed. While some libraries offered citizenship preparation classes (Fisher et al., 2004), others helped immigrants navigate their surroundings, which led to participation in civic affairs (Paola Picco, 2008). At times, conversation class discussions related to rights and opportunities in a country (e.g., Sweden; Johnston, 2016), which could lead to civic participation (Johnston & Audunson, 2019).

Discussion

As the results of this literature review show, public libraries helped immigrants adjust to life in a new country in a variety of ways and contributed to their educational, social, and community outcomes, thus addressing the social determinants of health. Educational opportunities commonly offered included language classes and discussion groups. Library programs provided an opportunity for immigrants to make social connections and to learn about their new communities. Immigrants also learned more about social practices and customs by spending time in the library and received answers to questions by interacting with librarians.

Library programs and services interacted at different levels of the SEM to ultimately improve quality of life for immigrants adjusting to life in a new country. All the articles mentioned at least two levels of the SEM, with a majority focusing on three to four levels. This reinforces the importance of public libraries as a place for collaboration with public health professionals as they address the social determinants of health on many levels. Overall, the least discussed level of the SEM was the political level (n = 6), which shows that public libraries have the capacity to provide a foundation for future political involvement following a successful Norwegian model (Johnston, 2019; Johnston & Audunson, 2019). Future research could look at the potential impact of public library and government partnerships in efforts to raise awareness and increase utilization of public libraries among immigrant populations in different countries throughout the world. Therefore, the SEM was a helpful classification tool to understand how the authors of the articles included in the review approached their work.

There was a lack of consensus about how to identify community needs among immigrant populations. While understanding the demographics (e.g., through census data) of community populations is useful, it does not provide information about the resources that these populations need. In practice, it is important to consider actual needs based on feedback from the community (e.g., understanding what resources are useful) rather than make assumptions from demographic data (e.g., building or removing multilingual collections based on the population of immigrants from a particular background). Additionally, when looking at demographic data related to community characteristics, public librarians should compare this information, if possible, with patrons’ demographic information to make informed decisions about whether to engage in community outreach to potential users or whether their efforts are best spent focused on the needs of immigrants who already use the public library.

Community engagement and interpersonal interactions in library settings helped immigrants gain familiarity with their surroundings. By using educational opportunities (e.g., language and literacy classes) in public libraries, immigrants gained confidence and self-esteem, developed new friendships, and increased community engagement.

Previous research related to information needs among immigrant populations has shown that information needs change depending on the length of time a person spends in the host country (Audunson et al., 2011; Caidi & Allard, 2005; Caidi et al., 2010; Sirikul & Dorner, 2016). At first, information needs are more pressing when learning how to navigate a strange country and ease homesickness (Khoir et al., 2015; Sirikul & Dorner, 2016; van der Linden et al., 2014). Focusing on information needs during specific ranges of time in the host country (e.g., less than 5 years, 5–10 years) and identifying ways to build confidence and self-esteem in newly arrived immigrants would be important issues for public libraries to address.

While it is beyond the scope of a narrative literature review to look at gray literature (Farace & Schöpfel, 2010) on the topic or to conduct content analyses of library websites, it is likely that there is additional information on public library services for immigrants recorded in annual reports, newsletters, and other unpublished documents that describes how public libraries around the world are serving immigrant populations in ways that are not discussed in the academic literature. For example, the Queens Borough Public Library in New York City is committed to helping immigrants as they are in a community where 48% of the population was born outside the United States (Queens Library, 2017). To inform their strategic plan for 2018–2023, the library conducted surveys among many stakeholders, including community members, which were translated into 10 languages. They found that meeting the needs of the diverse immigrant populations in their community helped them meet their overall goals. Therefore, in promoting literacy and lifelong learning through the library, they identified two areas of priority for immigrants, adult education and job skill development, as well as other areas such as building multilingual collections and ensuring language access services. Another way in which public libraries serve immigrant populations is exemplified in the Free Library of Philadelphia. Their Culinary Literacy Center offers a program called “Edible Alphabet,” where immigrants can learn English, literacy, and nutrition through cooking (Free Library of Philadelphia, n.d.). This disjoint between the information found in scholarly articles and existing programming further emphasizes the need for future collaborations between public health and public library professionals to evaluate and report on the effectiveness of these programs.

Limitations

The articles identified for inclusion in this study were limited to those published in English and available through the five databases. This could have resulted in a bias to include articles in Western countries and those written in English. Previous review articles have focused on a specific geographic location (e.g., the United States and Canada; Barr-Walker, 2016; Caidi et al., 2010). However, expanding the geographical inclusion criteria to studies worldwide has contributed to the discussion and highlighted models from which North American libraries can learn.

Several editorials, dissertations, and other works that could have contributed to this discussion were likely excluded due to limiting the search criteria to peer-reviewed and empirical articles. Including these studies could have added a range of perspectives (e.g., editorial stories) the programs and services offered in public libraries. Likewise, there are probably many examples of relevant public library services and programs discussed outside the scholarly literature and not reflected in this review, as explained above in the discussion of the gray literature.

Implications

This article applied a public health lens to the library and information science literature related to how immigrants use the public library. While previous studies have found that public libraries address the social determinants of health generally (Morgan et al., 2018; Philbin et al., 2019), this study found that public library programs were tailored to address needs related to immigrants’ education, social, and community immersion. The SEM was a useful organizing framework for this study, which found that all the studies focused on at least one level of the SEM and that political integration was the least discussed level. Future research should continue to promote public library and public health collaborations and explore barriers to public library programs that focus on the political level. Additionally, future research could examine the relationship between health outcomes and social and educational integration through library programs among immigrant patrons.

Future areas for both practice and research include collaborations between library staff, library and information science researchers, public health professionals, and health educators to maximize the health-related benefits of library programs that are not currently captured in the scholarly literature. Examination of how library use can meet the Healthy People 2030 guidelines is likely to be of particular benefit for both library and public health practice. In turn, health educators and public health professionals can be informed about public library services and how they relate to the social determinants of health to help the populations they serve. While many of these collaborations are already taking place in libraries around the world, and more related content might be available in gray literature, the availability of these reports, white papers, press releases, and so on varies from library to library. Additionally, it is important to share information about these collaborations more widely in the public health literature.

While one study utilized photovoice methodology (Khoir et al., 2015), none of the articles in the sample described a full participatory research project to engage immigrant populations and identify patron needs, which seems like an important next step. Participatory research involves engaging community members in the research process at all stages, including identifying the topic for research, recruiting participants, collecting data, and interpreting findings (Cargo & Mercer, 2008; Chang et al., 2012; Israel et al., 1998). Previous research has shown that participatory research among immigrant populations helped disseminate findings among community members (i.e., immigrant nonusers of libraries) and ensured ongoing collaboration to address community concerns and needs (Chang et al., 2012). This approach would help public libraries develop sustainable relationships with community members and library patrons. It would also ensure that library collections meet the needs of immigrant populations and focus on the social determinants of health and health-related outcomes.

Public libraries are unique spaces with a mission to welcome everyone and treat all people equally. As such, this literature review shows that public libraries have achieved great success in helping immigrants not only to integrate into a new culture but also to preserve their own culture, make friends, and develop confidence in navigating new surroundings while communicating in a new language, all of which are important social determinants of health.

COVID-19 Addendum

While this literature review was conducted and analyzed prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the pandemic brings a new sense of urgency on this topic. As the findings from this review show, public libraries help immigrant patrons find health information and connect with others, while also offering other services. During the pandemic, these information and social needs have increased. However, many library systems throughout the United States and in countries around the world were shuttered for several months to help stop the spread of COVID-19, which meant a disruption of their services and their ability to help vulnerable populations, such as immigrants, access essential and timely information.

There has been an abundance of news stories about COVID-19 in recent months, and due to the frequency of emerging information about this novel virus, discerning reliable health information can be challenging. However, some messages can be conflicting and not always presented in ways that are easy to understand. Additionally, misinformation related to COVID-19 has spread on the internet and social media platforms (Cuan-Baltazar et al., 2020). As public libraries help patrons access reliable and readable health information, their closure during COVID-19 has likely presented challenges for vulnerable patrons, such as immigrants, in accessing important information to help prevent the disease and seek treatment. Additionally, many immigrants encounter barriers to accessing the internet, such as access to a computer and internet connection. To address issues related to connectivity and misinformation, recent research and library programs, such as one in central Virginia, are focusing on how public libraries, regardless of whether they are open to the public, can serve as information hubs to connect patrons with telehealth resources so they can consult with their doctors during the pandemic (Holmes, 2020).

To continue programming in order to maintain the role of the library as a place to learn a language and to offer programs tailored to the needs of immigrant patrons, public libraries, such as the Free Library of Philadelphia, have started to offer virtual English conversation groups, story times, and other programming, such as the Edible Alphabet described earlier. As the pandemic continues, an area for future research is to determine how well the virtual programs can replicate health-related program outcomes (e.g., building trust and friendships) compared with in-person programs.

As library programs are slowly resuming, with a focus on the needs of the communities they serve, many remain predominantly online. Therefore, another area for consideration is how well libraries reach the most vulnerable immigrant populations in their communities. While some immigrant populations (e.g., undocumented migrants) may have not used the library prior to the pandemic and may have limited, if any, access to the internet, an area for future consideration by public library professionals is how to continue to reach the most vulnerable community members they serve. As cities and other localities are faced with budget cuts due to the pandemic, it is important for them to consider the role of the public library in their community and ensure that they can provide virtual programming, access to reliable health information, and access to telehealth visits for their communities.

Supplemental Material

sj-pdf-1-hpp-10.1177_15248399211001064 – Supplemental material for How Public Libraries Help Immigrants Adjust to Life in a New Country: A Review of the Literature

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-hpp-10.1177_15248399211001064 for How Public Libraries Help Immigrants Adjust to Life in a New Country: A Review of the Literature by Suzanne Grossman, Denise E. Agosto, Mark Winston, Rabbi Nancy E. Epstein, Carolyn C. Cannuscio, Ana Martinez-Donate and Ann C. Klassen in Health Promotion Practice

Footnotes

Authors’ Note:

This work was supported by the 2017–2018 Patient Engagement Fellowship at the Society for Public Health Education. The authors would like to thank Kathleen Turner for her assistance and advice concerning database searches and the two anonymous reviewers whose feedback helped improve and clarify this manuscript.

ORCID iDs

Suzanne Grossman

Rabbi Nancy E. Epstein

Ann C. Klassen

Supplemental Material

Supplemental material for this article is available at .

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