Libraries, for Your Health
Libraries can transform communities locally and globally, says Dr. Noah Lenstra.
Wherever you are, even if you don’t have a car or access to public transportation, there’s a good chance you can get to a public library.
“The average American lives within 2.1 miles,” says the associate professor of library and information science. That stat powers his mission.
Since 2016, Lenstra has helped libraries in America and around the world boost healthy living in their communities through his “Let’s Move in Libraries” initiative.
In just the first two years, the movement drew libraries from every state and every Canadian province. The Let’s Move in Libraries website has nearly 50,000 visitors, 14 percent outside the United States, and Lenstra has been invited to speak about the work in the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and Australia.
Lenstra has always understood the power of libraries as a jumping-off point to a bigger world.
As a child growing up in northwest Illinois, he played video games in his local library. “In the 80s, there was nowhere else you could access a computer,” he remembers.
He had his lightbulb moment as a doctoral student experiencing difficulties with his own health. “My chiropractor told me, ‘You can keep coming in here, but it won’t do any good unless you get at the root cause.’”
Lenstra’s resulting quest for fitness opportunities led him to the discovery that, across the country, libraries were offering access to streaming fitness classes.
Latest UNCGNews
- Mediating the Housing CrisisThrough education, advocacy, and intervention, the CHCS eviction mediation program – a collaboration between UNCG and Legal Aid of North Carolina – benefits the entire community. The post Mediating the Housing Crisis appeared first on UNC Greensboro.
- UNCG-Made Platform for Tracking Community Engagement Wins AwardCollaboratory is a higher education engagement-tracking platform developed at UNCG, designed to help institutions track and leverage how their activities affect the communities around them. It just won the 2025 ARIS Impact Innovation Award. The post UNCG-Made Platform for Tracking Community Engagement Wins Award appeared first on UNC Greensboro.
- Rx To Serve: Alum’s Neurological AdvancementsTrey Bateman ’08 arrived at UNCG after his mother had just lost her job in the textile industry. He used a Pell Grant to succeed as a double major in biology and psychology before going on to medical school at UNC-Chapel Hill. Now a clinical researcher, he treats and studies neurodegenerative causes of cognitive decline and dementia in adults. The post Rx To Serve: Alum’s Neurological Advancements appeared first on UNC Greensboro.
- Flexible Jobs for Students with Busy SchedulesThis year's SOAR session on working while enrolled in college was a popular one for new UNCG students. Career and Professional Development invites all faculty and staff to turn their interest into practice by promoting the upcoming "Part-Time Job Fair" on Aug. 27. The post Flexible Jobs for Students with Busy Schedules appeared first on UNC Greensboro.
- Will Technology Take My Job? UNCG STEM Camp Readies Teens for a Changing WorkforceHigh school students notice that technology is changing the workforce, and they’re not sure if it’s for better or worse. That’s why this summer camp in UNCG’s Bryan School of Business is making them feel more comfortable around tech. The post Will Technology Take My Job? UNCG STEM Camp Readies Teens for a Changing Workforce appeared first on UNC Greensboro.
- Rx To Serve: Alumna Excels in Emergency Medical CarePhysician Assistant Mia McDonald ‘15 earned her post-baccalaureate biology major from UNCG after contemplating a career in health care. During this time, she completed credits needed for school applications and built connections that helped her land her first PA position. The post Rx To Serve: Alumna Excels in Emergency Medical Care appeared first on UNC Greensboro.