Kaunas County Public Library, Lithuania

Impact Assessment Results

Impact study results, January 2013: high resolution | low resolution [PDF]

Public library service promotes healthy lifestyles for the over-60s

“Not so long ago I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and now I have learned where on the internet I could read more about this disease. This is very important to me.” – Mr Vytautas, a 68-year-old new computer user.

Kaunas County Public Library’s BiblioHealth service provides reliable information about healthy lifestyles for the over-60s. In less than a year, the service reached over 1,400 people, and established exciting new partnerships.

BiblioHealth was one of 14 innovative public library services funded by EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) in November 2011. Here we present results of impact assessment conducted by the library a year later, in November 2012.

Read the full story in the document titled Impact Study Results, above.

Previous project updates:

Library conference inspires over-60s to enrol for ICT courses

Over-60s flocks to yoga - thanks to the library

Over-60s thrilled by library relaxation classes - and ask for more

Over 300 people attend launch of new library service for over 60s

Library’s special health service for the over-60s

Background to BiblioHealth

Community need

Mass emigration of young work-seekers to other European Union countries means that Lithuania has a rapidly aging population. Yet services for the over 60s are inadequate. The state pension is too low for a healthy living standard and older people struggle with poor nutrition, stress and unhealthy lifestyles. Senior citizens in Lithuania are missing out on information about health and opportunities to improve their lifestyles because they do not have Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills or access to ICT.

The new service

Kaunas County Public Library’s BiblioHealth service will provide access to reliable health information to the over 60s. The library will install five computer workstations for senior citizens, and librarians will provide computer literacy and Internet research training. Users will be encouraged to register with doctors online, and to connect to the health system.

Librarians will create an online catalogue of health resources especially for seniors, and host lectures and events on the benefits of good nutrition, a positive attitude and physical exercise, like yoga and walking. Seniors will be encouraged to listen to Internet Health Radio, a consistent source of up-to-date health information. The library will send mobile phone text messages to users to remind them about events, and increase their stocks of books and journal articles on health and aging.

Working together

Kaunas County Public Library will work with several government and civil society agencies to deliver BiblioHealth. The Lithuania Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) will support the new service by providing information; the Foundation for Patient Safety, Innovations and Quality will locate and organize material for the Health Catalogue, and train librarians to use the new ICT. The Lithuanian Yoga Association will provide information on the value of yoga to physical, mental and spiritual health, and the online Health Radio will broadcast information for the over 60s. Vilkaviškis Municipality Public Library (MPL), Birštonas MPL and Jonava MPL will organize health information events for senior citizens in their libraries.

Replicating success

BiblioHealth is replicating the Kenya National Library Service’s e-health corners service, which teams up librarians and health workers to improve community health in two provincial towns in Kenya. Read more about Kenya National Library Service’s e-health corners.

To learn more about the project, contact:

Jurga Grikietytė-Čebatavičienė
Kaunas County Public Library
Radastų st.2, 44164 Kaunas, Lithuania

Tel: +370 37 324445
e-mail: jurga.grikietyte@kvb.lt

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