Beyond the Bookshelves, Libraries are Hubs for Community Well-being and Connection

Amidst the decade-long rise in demand for audiobooks and ebooks, it may come as a surprise to hear that the age-old practice of visiting a public library remains quite popular. Libraries in the United States are still frequented over 1 billion times a year, surpassing the number of visits to healthcare providers in the country. In fact, Gen Z and millennials are utilizing public libraries at higher rates than older generations, with a whopping 54% of Gen Z and millennials having visited a library in 2023. And while people still head to libraries to check out books, these institutions have evolved into much more than a place to pop in for a new read.

Libraries are some of the most accessible and longest-running third spaces–places outside of home and the workplace where people can informally gather, socialize, and build community. Third spaces are cornerstones of community well-being, as they promote social connection and prevent loneliness and its associated health concerns. Their presence and accessibility is a common trait of the blue zones regions–each longevity hotspot features multiple third spaces where residents regularly gather and connect, including churches, town squares, cafes, bars, stoops, front porches, and markets.

Libraries are a particularly unique type of third space. By nature, they encourage education and literacy across all subject matters, and as trusted public institutions for reliable information, libraries have become go-to spaces for not just books but for effectively disseminating consumer health and well-being information. They are often centrally located in their communities, with enough space and capacity to host a variety of events and community partners. As such, public libraries have become attractive partners for organizations focused on health and well-being education.

Many libraries now host a variety of events related to well-being for community members of all ages, including cooking classes, exercise classes, educational presentations, and community garden programs. Some have even hired staff members dedicated to community health and well-being–including part or full-time licensed social workers–who train librarians to help patrons apply for health benefits or enroll in SNAP. These programs can have a significant impact on the well-being of a surrounding community–a 2020 study by the Institute for Museum and Library Services found that counties with high library utilization rates and more library space, staff, materials, and programs had better community health outcomes than others.

One of the most common types of well-being events that libraries host is movement-based programming–an estimated 20-30% of libraries in the United States and Canada offer activities that encourage natural movement. Programs can include everything from free yoga classes to group fitness challenges, kid-friendly StoryWalks, and even the opportunity to “check out” hiking or biking gear for a weekend. These creative initiatives help remove common social and financial barriers to increasing physical activity, empowering community members to move more and experience the associated mental and physical health benefits.

 

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Many libraries also help patrons develop healthier habits through food-focused programming, including nutrition and cooking classes, mini farmers markets, mobile food pantries, and community gardens. In Warrensville Heights–a city just outside Cleveland, Ohio–the local branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library frequently demonstrates the impact that these institutions can have on improving food access and food skills development in a community. The library boasts its own community garden, hosts a monthly food distribution pop-up, assists patrons with SNAP and WIC registration, offers free meals after school at their Kid’s Cafe, and regularly holds garden education and cooking classes.

In late 2023, a Blue Zones assessment (one of the precursors to becoming a Blue Zones Project community) identified the Warrensville Heights Library as an exemplary resource in the community for healthy food access and education. They have evolved into a critical touchpoint for local food system resilience, such that local organizations working to increase healthy food access can maximize their impact by partnering with this library. As would public health organizations located in regions with libraries that have developed similarly robust health and well-being programming.

The Blue Zones Activate Barry County initiative in Michigan has done just that by partnering with several libraries across the county in their efforts to create healthier environments. One of their most successful and well-received initiatives, in partnership with local libraries, is their countywide “mailbox program.” It began in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when then-Executive Director Allison Troyer-Wiswell was brainstorming creative ways to conduct community outreach and engagement without in-person events.

“One of the biggest things that all of the libraries agreed to do was host a [Blue Zones] mailbox,” said Catherine Getty, current Executive Director at Activate Barry County. “Over the last five years, we’ve filled the mailboxes with everything from seed packets to brochures, teas, ‘stress dogs,’ and wooden spoons. Things like that–with tie-ins to health and well-being–to reach folks and spur some curiosity in learning more about the Blue Zones lifestyle.”

Each time the mailboxes are filled, every item gets taken, and the giveaways have remained popular even after pandemic restrictions were lifted. The goal of the program is to get patrons interested in the foundations of a healthier lifestyle, including cooking their own food, reducing stress, or encouraging natural movement activities, like gardening.

There are several barriers to beginning to incorporate these practices into one’s daily routine, including lack of time or minimal health education or resources. But by regularly providing a variety of beginner resources for free, at a central location, and with zero judgment or barriers to access, the Hastings library and the Activate Barry County team are helping to empower all members of their community to live better and longer.

“I think that [the library] is a great way to reach the community. Libraries are good conduits,” said Getty regarding their partnership with the library.

Indeed, in increasingly disconnected countries like the United States, third spaces are the conduits needed now more than ever to connect people with the vital resources that everyone needs for overall health and happiness. Libraries across the country have evolved beyond their bookshelves into spaces that can serve this need, providing entire communities with access to resources like healthy food, opportunities to move naturally, and techniques for reducing stress. Their efforts, while impressive on their own, can be multiplied by collaborating with other groups working to enhance community health and well-being, including public health organizations, healthcare systems, social services, and government agencies. It would be more than worth the time investment, as these institutions are far from dying out–they are places that communities need to thrive.

Sophia Piña-McMahon is an Editorial and Digital Specialist at Blue Zones. She is a multimedia journalist and digital marketing professional who specializes in stories at the nexus of food, culture, public health, and the environment. Sophia’s work has previously been published in Lonely Planet, the Mad Agriculture Journal, and local news outlets. She holds a Master of the Environment in Sustainable Food Systems from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Geography from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.