Emily Martin and Mary Ratzer from the Saratoga Springs Public Library are bringing resources to support recovery to their community

Posted by benniefinch on April 18th, 2025 Posted in: Blog, Member Spotlight, Newsletters, NLM Resources
Tags: community engagement, funding, MedlinePlus, Member Spotlight, New York, public libraries, recovery, substance use disorder

---

 

In this article, learn about the beginnings of the Read to Recovery program at Saratoga Springs Public Library.  NNLM supported the initial collection launch, and from there other community organizations, community members, and patrons have embraced and supported the collection leading to monetary and in-kind donations of over $18,000.  One example is the Health Department who has donated test strips and doses of naloxone which are now free to take at the library. The library has also become a bit of a bridge between local resources. Emily says it has been an “incredible journey”.  In this story, we introduce Emily Martin and learn more about how the Saratoga Springs Public Library is supporting recovery in their community.  

 

Would you rather travel back in time to meet your ancestors, or to the future to meet your descendants?

Fun fact, I volunteer doing research on local cold cases, which led me to getting really into genealogy. It was always rumored that my family was somehow related to Wyatt Earp. Turns out, my third-great grandmother was a woman named Mary Earp. It was easy to build out the tree from there and the rumors were true!

Tell us about your position/institution?

The Saratoga Springs Public Library serves 52,000+ residents spanning over 100 square miles. Our 58,000 sq ft building is located in downtown Saratoga Springs and open 70/hrs. week. The library has an outreach van that travels to offer library services to rural populations.

We are also busy! In 2024, we had:

• 260,000+ library visits
• 37,000+ registered cardholders
• 40,000+ reference transactions
• 20,000+ program attendees

I work as a librarian in the adult services department. No day looks the same. I have 3 monthly book clubs, oversee a few book collections, work at the reference desk and host programs. The most rewarding part of being a librarian is the impact our services make, big and small.

Please share a little bit about Read to Recovery with the NNLM community.

I jokingly refer to Read to Recovery as a trauma response. Not just personally, but professionally. Librarians are great resource brokers (not social workers) but get to see first-hand how folks struggle to navigate social services.

An article came out in March 2023 about San Francisco Public Library and their commitment to offering free literature on addiction, around the same time Saratoga County was seeing an alarming increase in overdoses in our county.

Inspired, I worked with my colleague Mary Ratzer to draft an action plan that included the list of resources, estimated cost, timeline, potential community partners, location of collection, and promotion.

We recognized immediately that funding might be a challenge – not a lot of grant opportunities specific to the recovery community out there. Not to mention stigma. The collection would acknowledge that addiction is very much a part of our community. What sponsor would be willing to take the risk on an idea to combat that by giving away free books?

The stars must have aligned because NNLM Region 7 reached out looking to fund a health literacy project specific to substance use, non-English speakers, and rural populations.

 

 

What have you enjoyed most about the project?

Meeting so many great people along the way! Having the opportunity to work with Doreen Horstin at the San Francisco Public Library for advice about getting started. Partnering with our local recovery center, Healing Springs, to attend outreach events and host a monthly book club. Working with the county health department to keep our shelves stocked with Naloxone, also free to keep, no questions asked. Connecting with staff and patrons on a deeper level.

What have you found most rewarding? 

I was giving an overview of the collection to a gentleman at an outreach event. He mentioned losing a child due to substance passing and his granddaughter was really struggling. A picture book called “When Someone You Loves Die” caught his eye and he picked it. I let him know all the books are free to keep and he was welcome to bring it home to read with his granddaughter. Tears ensued and we hugged.

But it’s that exact moment – when someone realizes they are seen, validated and supported by the resources we offer. It catches a lot of folks off guard. It’s healing. Having given away 560+ books and dozens of boxes of Narcan, we have a lot of meaningful interactions just like that.

What advice would you give someone else who was thinking about doing a similar project?

For any library worker thinking about doing a similar project – don’t underestimate the power of this collection. There is a good chance that members in your community depend on mutual aid groups like Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous. Mutual aid groups that are organized and sustained financially by members. Now, imagine your library being able to play a role in removing that barrier to access literature needed for someone to support their recovery journey.

What is your favorite NLM resource? How does the NNLM help you do your work?

MedlinePlus! Librarians love being able to recommend a trusted online source for health information. I appreciate how easy it is to navigate topics and the plain language. MedlinePlus is my default resource for any health-related reference question.

What is one word that you would use to describe the NNLM?

Reliable

I enjoyed having the opportunity to chat about the program with Emily. Here are some other things I noted from our conversation:

• Emily said she imagined a small cart when she originally shared the idea, but this project has turned into the larger collection and outreach opportunity that it is today.

The collection is accessible:

• Saratoga Springs Public Library is open 70 hours per week, making it a great place to have the collection resources available to the public.
• The collection is located where patrons can browse discretely but also close in proximity to a librarian to ask questions.
• The library van allows SSPL to bring the collection to rural areas and local events.
• Emily says people may not know they are looking for information until they find the collection.

The work of partnership:

• Emily has become very knowledgeable of local services and resources.
• Emily knows the staff at the community centers and who to talk if there is a patron in crisis. She shared that having personal connections carries a lot more weight than sharing a phone number with a patron. This knowledge helps bridge the connection to available services.
• They keep business cards for those contacts that she can provide to patrons who need support.
• The health department started bringing resources to the library.
• Emily reached out to the sheriff’s department to learn about how they support recovery.
• The library also hosts monthly book clubs in partnership with a family advocate from the recovery center.
• Patrons have become ambassadors reaching out to others and letting them know about the available resources.

NNLM Region 7 is excited that by providing support for this pilot project, the impact in the community is growing and is even shifting to a national collaboration. SSPL has been invited to partner with 50 other libraries from across the country to develop a toolkit and write a white paper on supporting recovery in libraries.

Emily says they understand that they can’t save everyone, but they do the best they can every day.