Your Library – Your Health & Wellbeing

In our busy lives, Your Library is a friendly, informal resource for helping you choose how to spend a little time on your health and wellbeing.

Little changes can make a big difference to how well we feel and information and support can really help manage our health.

Reading can slow down your heart rate and ease muscle tension!
Escaping into a great story or an interesting book really does improve your wellbeing – recent research shows reading can improve emotional wellbeing and reduce stress by 68%.

Whether you enjoy mysteries, adventures, romances, factual books and magazines about your favourite hobby, manga comics or newspapers – there’s a huge range at your local library or online – and it’s all free. It’s amazing how much fun you can have while helping yourself feel better! 

Reading together can be even more fun and better for you – and we have reading groups at all of our libraries.

Check out our online catalogue for some ideas.

East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust has teamed up with the local Health and Social Care Partnership to set up Health Information Hubs in all local libraries.

Each of our libraries now has designated space where you can access information from charities, local support groups and the NHS, and find books on health and wellbeing, Relax in one of our comfy chairs and devote a little time to your wellbeing.

Our Health Information Hubs will allow you to access information about a health issue where knowing more can put your mind at ease or help you to ask your doctor the right questions. You or a family member may have gone through a recent diagnosis and you want to get in touch with local support groups. Or maybe you are on journey to improving your health and want to learn how to cook healthy meals or get more active.

Our workforce is trained to signpost you to safe and trusted information and to other groups that might help. Our Library team are part of the local Improving the Cancer Journey initiative, and the team have been trained in working with people with autism and those living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. 

We will host special events throughout the year – such as Dementia Cafes, and hearing aid support sessions with the RNID.

Advice and events are all free. Check our What’s On page for more details of what’s happening near you.

Our larger libraries have a wide and varied programme of activities and events designed to make it easy to get back in the habit of socialising. Come in a group, with a partner, or on your own, and our staff will introduce you to friends you haven’t yet met. There’s usually something on every week, and there’s usually a cuppa and a biscuit too! Nearly all events are free – though some author talks and special events have a charge to cover costs. Events include:

• Crochet Club at Bishopbriggs Library
• Neurodivergent Comics Club at William Patrick Library
• Conversation Café – a chance to use our online language resources to start learning a language, practice English and chat with others
• Silent Book Walks – enjoy a bit of light exercise, a good story – and then back to the library for a chat and a cuppa - we lend you a headset and a great audiobook
• Craft and a Cuppa
• Quiz Nights
• Board and a Brew – board games and a natter and a biscuit 
• Mis-READ Mums – a specialist book group for new mums and their babies at Milngavie Library
• Chaps Chapters – a specialist book group for men, at Milngavie Library
• Book Groups – enjoy sharing and discussing a good book, at all our libraries.

Keeping in touch with friends and family is one of the best ways of feeling connected and in touch. And those banking and shopping tasks are often easier done online. But if you’re not sure how, it can be a stressful and anxious process. That’s where your local library can help. There are regular Digital Drop-in sessions in most libraries. Come along and learn about video calls, sharing photographs, sending emails – all in the most relaxed setting with friendly staff.
Check our What’s On page for more details of what’s happening near you.

Libraries can be busy and noisy places, with activities for children, groups having meetings and people discussing books. For those who prefer a more peaceful environment, we’ve introduced Quiet Times in Bishopbriggs Library. There are no noisy group activities, library users are asked to keep noise to a minimum, lights are dimmed as much as we can and you can enjoy a quieter time for reading, choosing a book or using your library. Quiet Times will be rolled out to all libraries during the summer.