Books are the best medicine: how libraries boost our wellbeing

From hosting Comic Cons to organising Christmas socials, these community hubs can do wonders for mental health

When staff volunteered to open Plymouth’s central library for two-and-a-half hours last Christmas Day, they thought it might give a few homeless residents somewhere warm and welcoming to go.

Instead, explains librarian Mandy McDonald, they were taken by surprise. People of all ages came to the library to enjoy free mince pies, biscuits and hot drinks, as well as a festive film showing. One family even brought some of their Christmas presents to open. “We had a massive response,” says McDonald. “There were people who just wanted to come and have some company, or use our computers to contact family.” That included one man living in temporary accommodation who used the library systems to get in touch with his son, to whom he hadn’t spoken for some time.

Related: Libraries change lives. They should be protected at all costs | Nikesh Shukla

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2NzxDp1