Cranston Public Library Celebrates October’s Health Literacy Month

(Cranston, RI) - The Cranston Public Library is excited to announce the installation of two new Health Information touchscreen kiosks. The kiosks are located at the Central Library and the William Hall Library. Through a grant awarded by the Network of the National Libraries of Medicine, the library was able to purchase these kiosks as part of our ongoing Healthy Families Initiative. This initiative aims to connect residents with factual and timely health information from trusted resources, in a variety of languages. 

The kiosks are located in semi-private areas of the library, so that patrons can research a variety of health topics and concerns on their own. In addition to viewing health information on the screen, library patrons can also print health information at no charge from the touchscreen kiosks.  

“October is Health Literacy Month, and we are pleased to introduce these kiosks to patrons to remind them that the library is a place for confidential health information,” said Julie Holden, Assistant Library Director. “The Cranston Public Library staff has been specially trained to direct patrons to multilingual, multicultural health resources, in print and online. Many patrons have private health questions and concerns, or symptoms that they would like to research on their own, and these kiosks provide a way for them to do that.” 

According to the Institute for Healthcare Advancement, “Health Literacy Month is a time of international observance when hospitals, health centers, literacy programs, libraries, social service agencies, businesses, professional associations, govern­ment agencies, consumer alliances, and many other groups work collaboratively to integrate and expand the mission of health literacy.”

Through programming and services, the Cranston Public Library’s Healthy Families Initiative aims to engage with members of the community around current health topics, and help library patrons of all ages find up-to-date, accurate information regarding healthy living as well as disease management and prevention. The initiative will empower families through carefully curated materials, and increase access to dependable library and local community resources. 

You can learn more about the Healthy Families Initiative, and register for upcoming programs by visiting: https://cranstonlibrary.org/healthy-families