Stronger Mental Health for Children and Adolescents in the Library

Abstract

Does reading novels and watching movies improve our mental health? In Troms County in Northern Norway, the project “Stronger mental health for children and adolescents” has been focusing on collecting and spreading information about mental health in books, graphic novels and movies. Through a two-year project granted by the National Library of Norway, we have established a website-collection of media with topics concerning mental health suitable for young people. In addition, we have re-launched a website containing letters and answers from a column in the largest newspaper in Norway, and arranged a theatre tour to libraries in Troms County with a play about life and death. We have collaborated closely with the Public Health Youth Centre Tvibit, to secure the quality of the content on the website. This paper brings you through our achievements of the project, concluding with the need for libraries to develop services from a health-perspective. Libraries do have a lot to offer concerning mental health issues.