How Victorian public libraries contribute to the health and wellbeing of their communities
What difference do public libraries make? What role do they play in affecting the mental health and physical wellbeing of the communities they serve? How much value (=savings) do they deliver for the public health sector?
In late 2022, under the broad umbrella of Statewide Public Library Development Projects delivered by State Library Victoria (SLV) in partnership with Public Libraries Victoria, research was conducted to understand and quantify the value that public libraries contribute towards community health and wellbeing.
SGS Economics & Planning and Prescience Research were engaged to produce The Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Public Libraries (HWBPL) report, an exciting body of work that found that Victorians who engage with their local library enjoy significantly better health and wellbeing than those who don’t.
Empowering Communities and Enriching Lives
Victoria’s public libraries play a crucial role in empowering and enriching the lives of users and non-users alike. Viewing library services through a health and wellbeing lens allows us to see just how much they contribute to the broader Victorian healthcare system, providing a range of services that collectively return almost double their value in benefits each year, and could be viewed as savings for the Victorian healthcare system. (The HWBPL report calculated that public libraries cost the state $241M per annum but yield $401M in benefits).
Prevention
Health literacy (the ability to source, comprehend and apply knowledge to make decisions about health care) is a key determinant of an individual’s health and wellbeing. Victoria’s public libraries provide preventative health measures by providing credible and authoritative access to health information and resources, and connecting people with knowledgeable staff who can help navigate mis/dis/information. This is particularly valuable for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds with low English language skills and those whose gender, ethnicity or sexuality might prevent them from seeking adequate health information or care.
In 2019, Australian Library and Information Association, Australian Public Library Alliance and ALIA Health Libraries Australia successfully applied to be a My Health Record Consumer Education Community Delivery Partner. This partnership initiative aimed to develop a training program for public library staff so they would feel confident and be able to proactively assist community members with the My Health Record website. A report published in February 2022 showed that 1,254 Victorian public library staff participated in the program, estimated to be 40% of the workforce.
Early intervention and referral
In the HWBPL report, 79% of survey respondents strongly agreed with the statement The Library is a place where I can feel safe or belong. This makes them perfect venues for health organisations to pop-up and provide services like eye/ear testing, and developmental screenings for children at-risk for developmental delays or diseases. These services can help identify health issues before they advance and become a greater burden on the healthcare system. Services can also support at-risk individuals in need of referral to other social support services.
The City of Melbourne employs a library social worker who has been able to directly help individuals experiencing homelessness and in need of support to apply for income support. The City of Yarra also employs a library social worker who supports library staff in understanding the broader social support networks and providing appropriate levels of support to at-risk individuals. These initiatives exist because public libraries are one of the few free, safe and welcoming spaces remaining for everyone to visit.
Self-management
Libraries offer free programs that can improve an individual’s health and wellbeing, both directly and indirectly. Book clubs can reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation; cooking demonstrations may lead to a positive change of diet, and exercise classes may improve heart health and circulation. These programs may not be advertised as health education programs, particularly if the outcomes are associated with mental health, due to existing stigma around the topic, or perhaps because the health and wellbeing benefits are deemed secondary. Individuals are given agency to decide which library programs they want to attend, and still benefit through participating in the program even if the outcomes are not explicitly known at the time. For example, a person might attend a cooking demonstration because want to impress a new friend. However, in practising cooking, they begin to form healthy habits in choosing fresh and nutritious produce to cook with and inadvertently improve their overall health by reducing their intake of fast/takeaway foods.
One program that does make the health and wellbeing outcomes clear in its advertising is The Art Connection, an arts-based social group delivered by Merri-bek Libraries for people with disability. The program is advertised as “a new program designed to build social connection for people with disability through art practice.” The Art Connection program was first trialled from July to December 2022. Of the participants in the trial, 60% reported feeling less isolated, 70% increased their social connection and social networks, and 80% felt an increased sense of belonging in their community.
The value of books
The HWBPL report drew connections to core library services and their associated health and wellbeing benefits. One particular insight is the correlation between printed books in languages other than English, and how engaging with them contributes to a sense of belonging. A survey participant explained “being able to borrow Chinese novels has not only given me hours of reading pleasure but also helped me continue to remember Chinese characters; keeping me mentally active. Reading helps me pass the time and keeps me occupied, especially now as I become less mobile. At times, reading is a way for me to escape for a few hours and immerse myself in a good book.”
Mental stimulation, escapism and immersion are cognitive benefits that contribute to health and wellbeing by keeping the brain and mind active.
Another survey participant explained that “Despite moving to Reservoir a few years ago, we still travel to North Fitzroy to borrow books because their children’s books are super diverse and full of LGBTIQ+ representation. This is very important for my family. We’ve borrowed books on gender-diverse parents like “She’s My Dad” by Sarah Savage, and a few more that go beyond the standard ‘my two mums’ narrative, which is great because my partner is non-binary.”
Diverse and inclusive collections allow community members to see themselves represented, which provides a sense of safety and belonging. These feelings contribute to positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes and can be amplified when libraries also provide programs and services for marginalised and under-represented community groups.
Engaging with public libraries makes you happier and healthier
The HWBPL report found that on average, engaging with public libraries improves a person’s overall health and wellbeing by 8 per cent. After controlling for other factors such as age, gender, income and geographic location, the research found that certain population groups benefited more greatly than others:
- People aged 31–40 who use their local library say it makes them feel 20% better (than those who don’t)
- Single parents who use their local library say it makes them feel 18% better (than those who don’t)
These findings were calculated through regression analysis on an individual’s Subjective Health and Wellbeing score, a measure of wellbeing based on their own perceptions and evaluations of life. It controlled for factors such as age, gender, income and geographic location to enable measurement between SHWB and engagement with a public library, which was established through a series of questions interrogating a range of domains including the individual’s standard of living, fitness, career satisfaction, sense of safety, feelings about the future, and their awareness, utilisation and satisfaction with library services.
The research also found that those who frequently visit a public library did not have a noticeably higher SWB score than those who visit less frequently, which is to say that any engagement with a public library delivers a measurable increase in a person’s subjective health and wellbeing. The engagement could be as little as having a library card in your wallet, or simply knowing there is a library in your town.
The perceived benefits and value of public library services are acknowledged even by non-users, which is to say even the idea of public libraries contributes to a community's overall health and wellbeing, even though only 48% of Victorians have used a library in the past 12 months. The HWBPL research provides more detail about how choice modelling was used to ascertain the community value of public libraries.
Next steps
Now this research has been made available, I asked two of my favourite AI chatbots to suggest ways it could be utilised by public libraries and partners. They suggested:
- Advocacy: The research findings could be used to advocate for increased funding and support for public libraries. The findings show that public libraries significantly impact the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities and that they are a valuable resource for people of all ages. The data on community members’ willingness to contribute an average value of $73.10 per adult each year emphasizes the importance placed on public libraries and can be used to justify the allocation of resources.
- Program development: The research findings could be used to develop new programs and services supporting individuals' and communities' health and wellbeing. For example, the findings suggest that public libraries could offer more programs and services that support mental health, physical health, and social connection.
- Evaluation: The research findings can serve as a benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness and impact of public library services. Organizations can track changes in subjective health and wellbeing, community value, and service usage over time to assess the outcomes of their programs and initiatives.
- Public awareness: The research findings could be used to raise public awareness of the value of public libraries. This could be done through public relations campaigns, social media, and other outreach efforts, and may increase public support for advocacy and further funding requests.
