ACTIONS
- Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage
- Learning and educational opportunities
- Cultural participation/social inclusion
- Sustainable tourism
- Support research
- Employment (recruiting, training, safety)
- Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste management and reduction
- Transport (forms of, energy use)
- Commercial activities including copyright and IP
- Governance and management
- Security, disaster preparedness, risk reduction
- External partnerships and collaborations
- Publication/report
- Audio interview with author
Public Libraries as Partners for Health
Intended Audience
Libraries working to support health and wellbeing
- E. D. Whiteman et al, Preventing Chronic Disease
“Public libraries are free and accessible to all and are centers of community engagement and education, making them logical choices as partners for improving population health. Library staff members routinely assist patrons with unmet health and social needs… The challenges library staff members experience in meeting their patrons’ information needs suggest opportunities for public libraries to advance population health. Library staff members need additional training and resources and collaboration with public health and health care institutions to respond to community needs through effective, evidence-based public health programming.”
Avaiable in
- English
SDGs LINKAGES
The resource is most closely related to SDG targets around inclusive public services, including SDGs 1.4 (ensure equal access to basic services), 3.4 (promote health and wellbeing), 4.4 (skills for work), 4.A (inclusive learning environments), 8.8 (protect labour rights and safe and secure working environments), 9.1 (inclusive infrastructure), SDG 10.2 (empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all), 11.7 (provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces) and 16.6 (effective, accountable and transparent institutions). Ensuring librarians have skills and knowledge to support library users supports their right to information, supporting SDG 16.10.
Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers and proportions of people from particular groups using collections in comparison with demographics in broader society.
- Numbers of people accessing collections.
- Number of targeted programmes that aim to enhance access to collections by disadvantaged groups.
- Sustainable tourism that enhances local communities’ access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property (including cultural and natural heritage), as well as to technology and markets.
- Involvement of people from disadvantaged groups in decision-making activities and processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the safe use of collections, notably in relation to chemical, physical, biological and other forms of hazard.
- Proportion of users of collections facilities reporting positive well-being during and as a result of activities relating to collections.
- Number and proportion of programmes relating to collections that incorporate wellbeing considerations and perspectives.
- Number of targeted programmes drawing on collections that address issues relating to non-communicable diseases, supporting prevention and treatment.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of young people and adults in skills-development activities and programmes drawing on collections, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
- Increase in number of young people and adults in such programmes.
- Number and proportion of staff who have received training in the last year, to better support their contribution to the SDGs.
- Programs and processes in place to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive.
- Proportion of education facilities that provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
- Number and type of initiatives to improve effectiveness of learning environments.
- Support given to other education facilities to make them more inclusive and effective.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportions of staff working with collections in safe and secure working environments.
- Number of accidents and other health and safety incidents reported.
- Training and support provided for staff to ensure their wellbeing, health and safety.
- Education, awareness-raising and partnership programmes drawing on collections that address labour rights, notably those of migrant workers and others in precarious employment.
- Reduction of numbers and proportions of staff on short-term or zero-hours contracts.
- Fair pay policies and procedures in place to prevent exploitation.
- Procurement policies that ensure that collecting institutions make use of people who are in decent employment, and that avoid exploitation throughout the supply chain.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Development of research-useful collections to support reliable, sustainable and resilient use by researchers and others.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that support economic development and human well-being.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that provide affordable and equitable access for all.
- Investment in collections facilities.
- Inclusion of collections information in regional and transborder initiatives, notably via digital access for discoverability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development to ensure that collections effectively meet the needs of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
- Number and proportion of educational and participatory programmes that promote participation irrespective of social or other status.
- Numbers and proportions of people making use of collections in relation to the demographic of the local population.
- Numbers and proportions of people involved in focused programmes aimed at promoting social, economic and political inclusion.
- Numbers and proportions of people from different demographic groups involved in decision-making processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
- Number and types of partnerships that build relationships with marginalized groups, individuals and communities.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups, notably women, children, older people and persons with disabilities.
- Increases in numbers of people accessing collecting institutions from different demographic groups.
- Measures taken to remove barriers to access green and public spaces.
- Extent of green space provided by collections institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of the population [audience/users/non-users] satisfied with their last experience of public services.
- Access to information, and accountability policies and mechanisms, in place.
- Effective institutional arrangements, both for own working and for working in partnership with other sectors, in place.
- Plans and arrangements in place for extraordinary circumstances such as natural and human-caused disasters.
- Effective arrangements in place to fulfil legal and social obligations and responsibilities.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent communication and reporting of institutional performance.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent decision-making and accountability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to enhance public access to information relating to collections.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights, national and international agreements and legislation.
- Plans and procedures in place for public access to information relating to the operation and management of collections-based institutions.
- Complaint mechanism in place for public to use where public access to information and fundamental freedoms not supported or fulfilled.