… to improving health and wellbeing

Q – How can we empower Scottish communities to take control of their health and wellbeing by safeguarding their access to free, evidence-based information?

A – From Macmillan Cancer Support in branches across Scotland to reminiscence activities for families living with dementia, a range of examples exists to illustrate the vital role of Scotland’s libraries in supporting health and wellbeing. Often described as the beating hearts of their local communities, libraries save NHS Scotland £3.2 million a year by facilitating partnership working, as well as tackling social isolation and health mis/disinformation in a uniquely trusted setting (Ipsos MORI polling reveals that librarianship is consistently one of the UK’s top three most trusted professions). Libraries also have unparalleled reach into communities that are otherwise easy to ignore: nearly 3 million Scots are active library members and 93% of the general population agrees that using the library has improved their quality of life.

Knowledge and Information professionals working for NHS Education for Scotland also play their part in supporting access to high quality health and social care related resources. Using campaigns like Health Librarians Add Value to highlight resources such as The Knowledge Network, a digital library for health and social care, and The Collective Force for Health and Wellbeing Action Plan, created to establish libraries as a go-to place for evidence-informed, trusted, health and wellbeing guidance.