SDG3 - oriented projects and Best Practices

Health libraries normally provide access to the results of medical research and diffuse information related to health services. If SDGs implementation is above all a matter of life style, libraries can do a lot to fight erroneous eating practices and unhealthy life-style. Information about obesity, narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol are usually developed in public libraries in collaboration with organisations operating in the third sector.

The alliance between public libraries and health associations is perhaps the most interesting development of the SDG implementation in European libraries, especially in the light of a possible Covid-19 strategy. Interestingly, during the Covid-19 crisis, the National Library of Lithuania in cooperation with the country’s public libraries and the Robotics School’s initiative help produce 3D printed face masks for healthcare workers. Over 50 public libraries of Lithuania joined the initiative: https://www.lnb.lt/en/news/5242-lithuanian-libraries-offer-support-to-healthcare-professionals

“Book start” entails a wide range of activities encouraging reading among the young and the very young. Some of the projects, like Book start in Belgium, provides free book packages to babies aged six months and older. This project is a joint undertaking of the National Health Agency Kind en Gezin (Child and Family), other health insurance agencies and public libraries.

In Italy, the success of the ”Nati per leggere” (Born to read) initiative should also be mentioned. “Born to read” is set up by the Italian Library Association in collaboration with paediatric associations and centres.

The Active Living Area project is a Citizen Science project aimed to transform 80 ha of farmland and woods surrounding the Southern Denmark University in a community driven outdoor living lab. Part of the project is to include staff and students at SDU in order to work with the UN SDG’s. As of now the project has received +1.000 proposals from citizens and staff. It worked thanks to a media partner and included workshops, festivals, town hall meetings, surveys and curriculum teaching in a cooperation with the neighbouring University College Lillebælt. The project links to SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing) and SDG11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive). 

• SDG3-oriented projects in Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Netherlands, Romania, Spain