NNLM AoU Community Award: Providence Community Libraries: Improving You in 2022

The aim of this program is to increase availability and accessibility of resources that promote physical and mental health and awareness of medical
research to the communities of the nine branch libraries within the Providence Community Library (PCL) system. Programs are aimed at adults, however
every library in our system will have the flexibility to adapt programming to serve the needs of their community. Due to demographics and needs of the
community, various branch libraries will emphasize programming and promotion of programs in Spanish. If awarded this grant, library branch managers
from across Providence Community Library will meet to discuss the exact allocation of resources to offer a wide variety of workshops, programming and
activities. The intent is to have programming ready on January 3, 2022 to take advantage of New Year’s resolutions. Branch libraries will discuss the
ordering of materials (such as colored pencils for art therapy or yoga classes). In March, PCL will offer a system-wide community walk incentive as part
of the culminating program and celebratory event of this project. The intended impact on the community is to offer free resources to encourage and
support people to be physically active, be mindful of both their physical health and mental health, and improve awareness of medical research in these
areas.