The San Antonio Public Library recognizes that public libraries play a vital role in communities in which they serve. Increasingly, public libraries are viewed as community centers offering more than books and access to information. The San Antonio Public Library worked with the City of San Antonio’s MetroHealth Department to secure funding from the City’s Federal Stimulus award from the Center for Disease Control’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant. This grant provided funding to install healthy equipment at five library locations to complement existing healthy infrastructure or create a new healthy exercise zone. Through private donations and funding, the San Antonio Public Library system has had limited experience with adding healthy equipment on library sites. Through this grant, the Library was able to make a consorted effort to promoting healthy activity.

Constructing healthy activity stations (adult fitness stations, playground and walking paths) next to libraries is a fairly new concept for the San Antonio Public Library. The CPPW grant provided the funding to expand the Library’s offerings of healthy activity stations next to libraries.

The libraries in these communities are seeing positive benefits from the addition of healthy activity stations. Many libraries have started programming activities centered on health and wellness. Library patrons visiting these libraries often express their appreciate of offering healthy exercise on the library grounds.