Healthy Ireland at your Library

1. Healthy Ireland At Your Library
AN OVERVIEW
Yvonne O’Brien (O’Reilly)
County Librarian, Louth County Council.
CILIP Ireland / LAI Joint Conference and Exhibition 2018

2. Healthy Ireland
A Government led initiative
“to create an Irish society where everyone can enjoy
physical and mental health, and where wellbeing is
valued and supported at every level of society”
Healthy Ireland strategy, the national framework for action
Partnership approach – Focus on Prevention
Health outcomes impacted by variety of personal, social and
economic factors and policies
Health Literacy

3. Health Literacy
Health Literacy Definition
“the degree to which an individual has the
capacity to obtain, communicate, process, and
understand basic health information and
services to make appropriate health decisions”
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
of 2010
40 % of Irish respondents had inadequate or
problematic health literacy

4. Healthy Ireland at Your Library
Healthy Ireland at Your Library:
◦ libraries community hubs
◦ To affirm the library as the ‘go to’ place for health and
wellbeing information and support
◦ Free, reliable and authoritative health information
◦ all library branches provide a health and wellbeing support
service to the public
Funding
◦ National grant funding under the Healthy Ireland Fund
Bundoran Library, Donegal - Healthy Food
Demonstration

5. Programme Implementation Structure
Local authorities, Local Government Management Agency, Department of Health, Department of Rural and
Community Development, and the HSE. Pobal administer the finance.
National Working Group: Nominated Librarians across14 local authorities and LGMA, chaired by a County
Librarian
Healthy Ireland Co-ordinators:
◦ in each local authority library service
◦ training and supporting frontline staff
◦ providing staff with information and resources for the set up and delivery of the service
◦ Developing partnerships
◦ Co-ordinating events programme
◦ Promoting and raising awareness
◦ Collating evaluation and statistics
The library team in all branches
Partnerships:
◦ National and local level - vital to ensure maximum impact and sustainability of the initiative.

6. Six Healthy
Ireland Strands

7. New Resources and Services
Book Stock:
◦ Core Healthy Ireland collection (56 titles) in each branch library:
◦ developed by ‘Healthy Ireland Stock Collection Working Group’ with
representatives from the Department of Health, HSE, public libraries and the
LGMA.
Health and Wellbeing Online Resources:
◦ eBooks, audiobooks and digital magazines
◦ Selected by ‘Online Resources Stock Selection Committee’ and reviewed by the
‘Healthy Ireland Stock Collection Working Group’
Health Information Service:
◦ Staff - information ,guidance and direction to users and promote health awareness
in the community.
Healthy Ireland Programmes of Events:
◦ talks, discussions and workshops with a focus on physical health, mental health,
and health information.
Guidelines:
On the selection of supplementary stock & on sourcing health experts for events
programme. Collaboration Department of Health, LGMA and Working Group

8. Awareness
Branding and Promotion:
◦ Local and National newspaper and radio
campaigns
◦ Promotional materials including Irish materials
◦ Online promotion
◦ Dedicated Healthy Ireland section on Libraries Ireland website
& each Local authority website
◦ Social media campaign
◦ National radio campaign in mid December

9. Events
•Over 650 events held nationwide
•Minimum 1 event on Physical activity and 1 event
on Nutrition.

10. Popular Events
Yoga incl. Children’s yoga, chair yoga,
laughter yoga, baby yoga
Other Physical activities incl.
Walking, Zumba, Pilates, tai chi, fit
and sit, activities with Local Sports
partnerships, contemporary
movement
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Carrick-On-Suir Library, Tipperary
Tralee Library, Kerry.

11. Dr Harry Barry : Anxiety and Panic
“One of the best forms of meditation is reading a
book”
Social Anxiety is a huge issue: Flooding technique – ”accept
the symptoms “ Dr Barry’s You Tube Videos on Panic Attacks
Make time for yourself

12. Launch at Central Library, Waterford

13. Other Popular
Events
Wellbeing and Mental
Health workshops and talks
e.g. stress, change, anxious
children body image,
mindfulness, meditation.
Nutrition and healthy eating
e.g. how to read food labels,
talks with dieticians, fussy
eaters, cooking
demonstrations, mindful eating
Buncrana Library, Donegal.

14. Other Popular
Events
Positive ageing events e.g. talks
on retirement, Over 55s exercise,
mental health for older adults
Mobile Health Units
GIY and gardening
Managing screen time and cyber
safety
Irish Heart Foundation, LexIcon, Dun
Laoghaire - Rathdown
Mobile Alzheimers Van , Ardee with
Coffee morning in library.Physiotherapist Drogheda
Library

15. Staff Training
Training sessions organised at implementation stage for frontline staff – 3 sessions
 to build knowledge and skills to meet user needs for guidance on access to health information
to respond confidently to user requests and provide direction to relevant health resources
Healthy Ireland Co-ordinators = 3 sessions
 to lead team and project manage implementation
 Train and support frontline staff
 Provide staff with information and resources for the set up and delivery of the service and
evaluation of the initiative.
Staff Highly engaged in delivering the initiative

16. Evaluation
◦ Tracking the usage and success of the initiative is key
Statistics
◦ stock issues collatable at national level
◦ in relation to events (>650) ,
◦ social media
◦ partnerships collected throughout the programme.
◦ on general queries - Census week in March 2018.

17. Query Census 5-11 March 2018 2,575 queries
5%
6%
4%
8%
22%
17%
24%
14%
0% 100%
Other
Tobacco
Alcohol
Positive Ageing
Wellbeing &
Mental Health
Active Living
Healthy Eating
Healthy Childhood
Type of Query per HI Strand
89
116
Referrals from library to
another organisation (116)
and from another
organisation (89)
Eg: HSE, Local Sports Partnership, Citizen’s
Information, Jigsaw, Age Action, Get
Ireland Active, COPE, Foróige, Walking
Groups, Autism Ireland, Dyslexia Ireland,
Irish Cancer Society, Local Public Health
Nurse1%
8%
4%
3%
5%
35%
44%
Other
Websites or other
online information
eMagazines
eAudiobooks
eBooks
Events
Bookstock
Resource Used

18. Public Survey Results
1500 responses 700 online and 800+ hard copy.
90% either extremely, very, somewhat likely to avail of the Healthy Ireland at Your Library
service again, 8% less likely and 2% not likely
 92% either extremely, very, somewhat likely to recommend the initiative to friends, 6% less
likely and 2% not likely.
57% heard of the initiative in the library, 16% on radio, 10% each word of mouth & social
media, 4% Web, 3% newspaper.
60% existing regular library users, 30% less regular users, 10% new members using initiative.
People used a variety of resources / services - 59% used Bookstock, 25% Health information
guidance, 32% Health and Wellbeing events programme, 24% using e resources
Users found multiple information channels useful- 43% bookstock, 34% HI guidance, 29 HI
events, 16% e resources.

19. 31%
34%
25%
7%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Extremely likely Very likely Somewhat likely Not so likely Not at all likely
How likely are you to avail of the Healthy Ireland at Your
Library service again?

20. 33%
37%
21%
6%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Extremely likely Very likely Somewhat likely Not so likely Not at all likely
How likely is it that you would recommend Healthy Ireland
at Your Library to a friend or colleague?

21. 55%
15%
8%
10%
4%
5% 3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
In the Library Radio Word-of-mouth Social Media Other Website Newspaper
article
Where did you first hear about Healthy Ireland at
Your Library?

22. 59%
24%
7%
8%
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No, I'm a regular user of the
library
No, I use the library now and then No, but I haven’t been to the
library in a long time
Yes, I'm a new member of the
library
Yes, I'm a non-member using the
library for the first time
Are you a new user of the library service?

23. Do you have any suggestions of ways to improve or enhance the Healthy
Ireland at Your Library service?
More Events and activities e.g. On children and young people, nutrition, healthy eating and
food labels, yoga, mental health, mindfulness.
Books e.g. A wider collection of health and wellbeing books, health and wellbeing book clubs,
maintain book displays, more Irish titles.
More Advertising and Promotion e.g. programmes of events, features in local papers,
advertise more nationally, promote more in community groups and within the libraries
More Information e.g. develop health and wellbeing pamphlets/brochures, bookmarks with
contact details, Healthy eating plans, permanent health stand in libraries, share more
information on community activities

24. Feedback from the Surveys
Loved the speaker's way of explaining nutrition - simple, basic and straight to the point
Great idea to run such a programme in conjunction with libraries
Would like to see the initiative continue.
The library is a lifeline to all aspects of my holistic health.
The library is an excellent source of information. Talks were very good. I will attend more
The workshop attended was excellent and the speaker very easy-going. I hope to see more of such events in the
future
I think the broad interpretation of the theme is great. We attended a healthy eating event but I have also read books
on mental health and was glad to see such books on the Healthy Ireland table display
I love the selection of books on the display as you walk into the Library and the shelve in front of the desk. It gives
me ideas of great books I wouldn't normally find. Thank you

25. Phase 2
Our Public Libraries 2022: inspiring, connecting and
empowering communities
Partners:
◦ National: Department of Health, Department of
Rural and Community Development, HSE, Sport
Ireland
◦ Local: Local Sports Partnerships, LCDC,
National Co-ordination – Working Group, Healthy
Ireland Co-Ordinator Network
New elements – primary care providers, collection
development, user input
Healthy Ireland Co-Ordinator local programme
Healthy Ireland Funding?
Launch at Central Library, Waterford
Chartered Physiotherapist Ardee Library