This is a key strand of library service delivery for children and young people, both in terms of libraries making a difference and in the support you offer stakeholders and partners in making a difference within the wider community.

‘Being healthy’ means enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle.

There are many ways in which libraries can support children, young people, parents and carers in ‘being healthy’, such as:

Providing ‘being healthy’ reading materials
Promoting reading as a stress-buster activities
Hosting health and well-being events
Delivering story times & activities
Facilitating shared reading activities
Working with health sector partners

Above all, remember the feel-good power of reading and highlight this in your approaches to marketing and promotion. Reading can make you feel GOOD! Sharing reading with others can make you feel GREAT! The library as stress-buster!

Download TRF’s service impact outcomes (Word, 184kb) to reflect upon the difference your service is making for your users in terms of ‘being healthy’.

Being clear about what outcomes you want to deliver will help you to decide what you will do in your library to make this happen.

Whatever activities your library provides for children, young people, parents or carers, consider the ‘being healthy’ angle, for instance:

Link library / reading activities to local political and corporate health priorities – healthy eating, for example. This is equally valid as an approach in public libraries as it is in schools
Use reading groups or other activities to connect young readers, as an opportunity to think about, explore and discuss life style issues
Create imaginative displays, linking health and lifestyle issues with relevant, attractive resources
Work with appropriate agencies around this shared agenda, for example, target Sure Start or Bookstart health representatives
Plan and host events for parents, carers and young people where health care or parenting issues are to the fore – invite guest expert speakers and link with book or internet-related activities

Get your service noticed…

Do you have an advocacy strategy for any aspect of your young people's service? Are other local services aware of your contribution towards 'being healthy'? An advocacy strategy can improve the support, appreciation and status of your service - and the funding.

TRF offers advice and guidance in developing an advocacy strategy.

Look in TRF Resource Library for reports and case studies to support you in planning and advocating your services.

Plan, evaluate and build your partnerships…

The TRF planning and evaluation framework has been developed in consultation with library practitioners and is being used by library authorities, and by national reading initiatives, to plan and assess the impact of key elements of their services for young people.

Further information…

The shared priorities programme is a partnership between central and local government which provides a framework for promoting the work of councils. The Improvement and Development Agency website gives examples of demonstration projects which have successfully tackled the shared priority of promoting healthier communities.

Have a look at the National Youth Agency’s ‘being healthy’ pages and find out about projects, including library projects, promoting ‘being healthy’.

Read the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’s Health Policy to find out more about the policy context for health promotion and the importance of advocacy and multi agency work in promoting well being through libraries.