Automobile Access

Bike Lane Access

Traffic Volume

Transportation

Diesel Particulate Matter

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)

Ozone

Clean Environment

Park Access

Tree Canopy

Neighborhood

Above Poverty

Employed

Per Capita Income

Economic

Census Response

Voting

Social

Insured Adults

Healthcare Access

Homeownership

Housing Habitability

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Homeowners

Severely Cost Burdened Low-Income Renters

Uncrowded Housing

Housing

Bachelor's Education

High School Enrollment

Preschool Enrollment

Education

Outdoor Workers

Supermarket Access

Two Parent Households

Library Access

Safe Drinking Water

Public Transit Access

Decision Support

Everybody should have public library access, which can impact one’s health literacy, quality of life, and social connections within the community. According to the CDC, libraries can improve health literacy and connect community residents to health-related information and resources.

 By connecting residents with free internet access and providing education on finding reliable information online, libraries improve health literacy and foster people’s ability to advocate for their own health needs. Libraries also advertise and distribute information about local and state health efforts and connect people with local health resources.

 For example, public libraries in Salt Lake County connect visitors to immunization information during children’s story times and provide Naloxone, free of cost, through a partnership with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. 

Public libraries can also support healthier outcomes by improving people’s educational attainment and access to economic opportunities. Many libraries provide programs to advance literacy for both children and adults, and can thus address disparities. Because lower income individuals and people of color are more likely to use libraries more than other public spaces, libraries provide an opportunity to reach these communities. Studies identify public libraries as 

mechanisms for reducing and confronting place-based health disparities


Public libraries foster social cohesion by organizing community events and connecting people with groups like book clubs. The 

 organizes a weekly and monthly club and provides resources for people to create their own book clubs. 

This indicator measures the average distance of each census block center to the nearest library. Library access is a proxy measure for retail density. 

Cabello, M., & Butler, S. M. (2017, March 30). How public libraries help build healthy communities. Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/03/30/how-public-libraries-help-build-healthy-communities/

Salomon, M. (2010, August). Social capital outcomes of adult learning and literacy initiatives. How do we measure them?. Centre for Literacy of Quebec. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED547406

Uphoff, E. P., Pickett, K. E., Cabieses, B., Small, N., & Wright, J. (2013). A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health: A contribution to understanding the psychosocial pathway of health inequalities. International Journal for Equity in Health, 12(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-12-54

Vårheim, A. (2014). Trust in libraries and trust in most people: Social capital creation in the public library. The Library Quarterly, 84(3), 258–277. https://doi.org/10.1086/676487

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Libraries. CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/education-support/libraries.html

Midwest Public Health Training Center. Bringing public health and public libraries together: Collaboration toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.mphtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/PHPL-Toolkit-1.pdf

Improving library access requires a range of strategies to assess the existing neighborhood amenities, determine the market feasibility for new uses, plan for equitable access, and make the neighborhood a safe, active and healthy place to live, work, learn and play. Jurisdictions seeking to improve their library access should first 

. Planning efforts should typically start with an assessment of current land uses, centers of activity, retail centers, job centers, community needs, health conditions and gaps. Planners should consult neighborhood, transportation, and economic indicators. A variety of resources on smart growth are available, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 

, the U.S. Green Building Council Development Density Guidelines, and the Urban Land Institute's 

Ten Principles for Rebuilding Library Access

In addition to land use planning, communities should also 

Improve Transportation Access to Support Increased Library Access

. Communities should create opportunities for new businesses, retail and other essential destinations to be sited locally, and accommodate a range of transportation options.

Communities should also focus on economic development, especially 

 for small businesses, job training providers, and other employment and workforce services. They can use community land trusts and other land preservation strategies to ensure that the neighborhood's mix of destinations is culturally and economically appropriate to community residents.

For more information on library access, see: the National Library of Medicine, All of Us Research Program, and the Public Library Association’s 

Public libraries: A community-level resource to advance population health

Bringing Public Health and Public Libraries Together

Support and build local institutions and practices that foster community awareness and participation.

Strong Evidence

Use “Third Places”

Sufficient Evidence

Building Literacy 

Healthy Neighborhoods

Promising

Involve Diverse Community Leaders/Members in Decision-Making Processes

Support Libraries as a Robust, Well-Funded Local Institution

Transportation to essential destinations is fundamental to getting and keeping jobs, learning the skills necessary for employment, and accessing economic opportunities.

Policy Guide

Library Access

Build Social Capital Through Community Supports

Improve Transportation Access to Support Increased Library Access