Libraries for Health and Wellbeing Innovation Grants

The Libraries for Health and Wellbeing Innovation Grants program was delivered in partnership between State Library Victoria and Public Libraries Victoria in recognition of the vital role of public libraries in supporting community health and wellbeing.

Established in 2020 as part of the Statewide Libraries Development Projects 2020-2023, the Libraries for Health and Wellbeing Program underscores the importance of public libraries in supporting community health. The Innovation Grants were introduced to amplify the program's impact, with a minimum grant value of $20,000 and a flexible funding pool ranging from $150,000 to $250,000.

Over three years the grant funding supported 24 strategic projects reaching across the state and tailored to local community needs: specifically targeting innovative and collaborative projects in physical health, mental wellbeing, and social connection. Funding further supported innovative health and wellbeing projects in public libraries that fostered partnerships.

Small Libraries Big Impact Webinar

This webinar explores the importance of regional and rural libraries. Featuring keynote speaker Honourable Melissa Horne, Minister for Local Government; Leanne Williams, CEO of MyLi and President of Public Libraries Victoria Executive committee; and Dr Rebecca McGowen, a local GP and advocate for public libraries. Dr McGowan shares insights on the challenges rural communities face in achieving positive health outcomes. Discover real-life examples of library funding for social impact, including insights from Paul Duldig, CEO of the State Library Victoria, and a panel discussion led by Dr. Angela Savage on rural innovative outcomes for libraries achieved with Libraries for Health and Wellbeing Innovation Grants.

Hear Our Story

The Hear Our Story videos captures the voices and stories of community members who have directly benefitted from the Health and Wellbeing Innovation Grants. Each story captures the ways that libraries affect that world around participants and the opportunities that the grants programs have brought to their communities.

More to explore

Buloke

Up Close and Personal 

A program to reduce social isolation in one of Victoria’s most remote regions by expanding the range of services delivered via library van and static library sites.

Darebin and Yarra

Hearts and Minds: youth mental health and wellbeing

A co-design project exploring, with youth from CALD and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, how public libraries can support their mental health and wellbeing.

Casey-Cardinia and Greater Dandenong

Child Health and Wellbeing 

A new program integrating health literacy with early years’  literacy programs. 

Geelong Regional

Creative Collective Memory Arts 

A project involving local artists supporting community to capture Covid-19 experiences.

Hume

Healthy Kids 

Co-designed with children, and delivered to children: a program promoting child mental wellbeing, social connection and physical health in community languages and settings.  

Indigo

No More Dr Google! 

A men’s health literacy program in north-east Victoria targeting 35-55 year olds.

Maribyrnong

Connect and Communicate

A program to engage young jobseekers to deliver digital literacy programs to senior - building their skill base, breaking down social isolation and improving the mental wellbeing of both groups.

Moorabool

Reignite Your Community Connections 

Programs to engage community in a range of wellness-related activities at the library and to connect community with other wellness programs throughout Moorabool.

Moreland

From the Word Grow

A place-based healthy eating program codesigned by a consortia of five organisations based at the new Glenroy Community Hub. The project addresses the need for improved health knowledge and healthy habits for Glenroy residents, with a focus on culturally and linguistically diverse families.  

Wangaratta

Working Together to Support Grit and Resilience

A partnership program for the library to work with community partners on strategic projects addressing the mental health needs of the community, which is experiencing high levels of suicide and homelessness .

Whitehorse-Manningham

Helping Communities to be Healthy in a Climate Impacted World 

A pilot program develop and deliver to empower community members to improve their health and wellbeing whilst reducing their contribution to climate change. 

Mornington Peninsula Libraries

The Goodness of Gardening

This 12-month program will promote the health and environmental benefits of home gardening. Improvements to diet and physical activity will be encouraged via the creation of seed libraries and associated programming and collection development.

Monash Public Library Service

Untold Stories: Uncovering the LGBTQIA+ Stories of the Covid-19 Pandemic

This project will address the high suicide rates and loneliness of the LGBTQIA+ community, which research suggests has intensified during the pandemic.

Yarra Plenty Regional Library

Talking Together

This project will focus on supporting and engaging the young Somali Australian community in West Heidelberg. A series of event will be co-designed with the community focusing on mental health and social connectedness.

Vision Australia

Let’s Move!

A program for people with vision loss. Working with professional trainers, Vision Australia will develop a series of fully audio-described accessible yoga and mindfulness videos for young adults and their families who are blind or have low vision.

Yarriambiack Shire Council

Words on Wheels to the People

This program will design and create a library trike that will act as a mobile library promoting physical activity, positive wellbeing, and mental first aid. The library trike is expected to fill gaps in rural delivery of key services.

Geelong Regional Library Corporation

Connect and Create – Inclusion and Access for People with Dementia

This project will create a suite of interactive programs promoting brain health and dementia prevention targeted towards isolated older community members.

Hindmarsh Shire

Pieces of You Project

Hindmarsh Shire Libraries operates in an area known to have an aging population and people experiencing social isolation. This project attempts to reconnect people in Victoria’s remote north-west in a way that is meaningful to them.

Hobsons Bay

Nature for Health and Wellbeing

Hobsons Bay will deliver a densely packed six months of programming consisting of one-off events as well as a multi part course that promotes the important connection between nature and physical, social and mental health.

Latrobe

Latrobe Festival of Stories

Designed specifically for community groups prioritised in the council's Public Health and Wellbeing Plan – this festival will see the library unearth the hidden voices of the community and amplify their stories via a main event held over two consecutive weekends in October 2023 (Mental Health Month).

Melbourne

Seasonal Community Lunch Event Series

This program targets some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, including people without homes and others who lack the resources to eat well, and addresses issues such as food scarcity.

Merri-bek

Health and Wellbeing Program for Women

Working with expert partners including Sister4Sister, WIRE and Northern Community Legal Centre, Merri-bek Libraries will host a Health and Wellbeing Program for Women at the Glenroy Library.

Warrnambool

Sharing Stories: Strengthening Communities

In partnership with WRAD – Western Region Drug and Alcohol Centre, the Warrnambool Library will deliver a program to address the very high incidences of alcohol and gambling addiction in the area, which are amongst the highest in the state.

Vision Australia

See Like Me

Vision Australia will work with families and children with blindness and low vision and children's publisher Berbay Publishing to create a book that will promtoe braille as an important literacy tool and engender a greater sense of inclusivity for children with vision impairment.