UK Public Library Health and Well-being Services for Vulnerable People postprint

Abstract: [Purpose/significance] This paper studies UK public library health and well-being services for vulnerable people in order to provide reference for Chinese libraries support vulnerable people's health and well-being.[Method/process] This article selected public libraries in 23 UK administrative regions as survey samples, used website survey, email survey, and literature research method to investigate their health and well-being services for vulnerable population, analyzed clients and service contents, and used case analyse method to study health and well-being services for main service clients.[Result/conclusion] The results show that vulnerable people whom UK public libraries provide health and well-being services to are those who are disadvantaged due to disease and age as well as their supporters. Especially libraries pay attention to people suffering from mental illness, dementia, cancer and children and young people. Service contents include information resources, activities and spaces that promote health and well-being and barrier-free reading services. It finds out that firstly UK public libraries set health promotion as strategy aims of national and regional public libraries. Secondly, UK libraries join the health service network. Thirdly, libraries provide services catering on vulnerable clients' health needs. Next, libraries subdivide service groups and develop services for supporters of vulnerable groups. Finally, the article puts forward suggestions for public libraries in our country.