After years of planning and partnership, PLS embedded librarians in the Cleveland County downtown Wellness Square to provide routine health programming, resources and services to the public. Recognizing a clear alignment of missions to bring health, wellness and knowledge to residents and visitors of the county, library staff collaborated with county officials years before breaking ground.

Rather than competing to offer similar services, PLS and the county teamed up to build healthy habits for Oklahomans. County officials toured library spaces and interviewed staff to help shape the design and service model of this new public space. Setting up a “champion” model, each library branch in Cleveland County dedicated a staff member to offer regular programming onsite, such as hosting healthy cooking demos in the facility’s test kitchen or showcasing health resources at the city’s monthly downtown Art Walk.

By joining forces, the library and county reached a wider audience to encourage healthy living by meeting people where they are. PLS brought innovative programming outside the library’s walls, like serving up healthy recipes at the weekly Farmer’s Market using the library’s mobile kitchen stored on-site. The library and county have joint marketing efforts to promote across the county, including a regular column in the local paper and a constant digital display at the Well promoting the library’s health services.