Full Professor · UNC Greensboro
Noah
Lenstra
Researcher, educator, and community builder working at the intersection of public libraries, health promotion, and community partnership.
Full Professor · UNC Greensboro
Researcher, educator, and community builder working at the intersection of public libraries, health promotion, and community partnership.
What I do
My research, teaching, and service explore how public libraries partner with communities to foster physical, mental, and social wellbeing — with particular attention to rural communities, coalition work, and the spread of innovative practice.
I study how public libraries participate in community coalitions and build cross-sector partnerships. Current NIH-funded work focuses on rural Oregon libraries and walking programs. My survey research examines how coalition engagement varies across rural, suburban, and urban library contexts.
Since 2016 I have directed Let's Move in Libraries — a national initiative connecting libraries that promote physical activity with each other and with community partners in parks, recreation, transportation, and beyond. The initiative reaches practitioners across all 50 states.
I teach graduate courses in Library and Information Science at UNCG, including Change and Project Management (LIS 685). I aim to prepare the next generation of library leaders with the skills to build sustainable community partnerships and lead organizational change.
Featured Projects
Across my work I focus on practical questions: How do libraries enter community coalitions? How do innovative practices spread? What does it take to sustain a community-led library?
National Initiative · Active
A national network and initiative connecting libraries that promote public health with community partners in parks & recreation, active transportation, and beyond. Since 2016, Let's Move in Libraries has supported practitioners across the United States with resources, community of practice, and a practitioner newsletter reaching over 4,000 subscribers. A major strategic reorientation — toward engaging non-librarian community partners as primary collaborators — is underway, with intensive development planned for 2027.
Visit letsmovelibraries.org →Annual Award Program · Active
An annual recognition program honoring community partners — from parks departments to health organizations — who collaborate with public libraries to promote health and wellbeing. The award program builds visibility for library partnerships beyond the library profession and strengthens the national network of library-community collaborators.
Learn more →Coalition · Active
A national coalition bringing together public libraries and their community partners to share knowledge, build capacity, and advance the field of library-community partnership. The PLCPC supports cross-sector collaboration and practitioner development for both librarians and non-librarian partners.
Visit plcpc.org →Archive · Ongoing
Begun in 2009 during my time in Illinois, eBlack Champaign-Urbana is a community digital history initiative preserving and centering Black history and culture in central Illinois. I continue to maintain and support this project.
Visit eblackcu.net →Scholarship
My scholarship spans peer-reviewed articles, books, and practitioner-focused writing. I work to bridge academic research with the practical needs of library professionals and community partners.
Journal Article · Health Promotion Practice
How Do Public Library Partnerships Impact Health? A Scoping Review
Lenstra, N., DeGuzman, P.B., McConnaughy, R., & Weis, M. Health Promotion Practice, 2026. A systematic scoping review evaluating the impacts of health promotion initiatives involving public libraries as collaborators, drawing on 67 peer-reviewed articles.
View article →Journal Article · Journal of Community Health
Assessing the Readiness of Rural Public Librarians to Implement Public Health Programs
Lenstra, N., Franklin, H., Dieckmann, N.F., et al. Journal of Community Health, 50, 152–158, 2025. Uses a modified public health competency assessment with rural Oregon library managers participating in an NIH-funded walking program trial.
View article →Book · ALA Editions
The 12 Steps to a Community-Led Library
With Audrey Barbakoff. ALA Editions, 2023. A practical guide for library leaders building sustainable, community-driven partnerships and programs.
Publisher page →Journal Article · Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement
Public Librarians and Public Health: How Do Partners Perceive Them?
Lenstra, N. & McGehee, M. Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement, 2(1), 2022. Examines how public libraries are perceived as community health partners, drawing on interviews with librarians and their partners in 18 communities across 16 states.
View article →Book · Libraries Unlimited
Healthy Living at the Library
Libraries Unlimited / ABC-CLIO, 2020. A comprehensive resource for library professionals building health and wellness programs in their communities.
Publisher page →Journal Article · IJERPH
Public Libraries and Walkable Neighborhoods
Lenstra, N. & Carlos, J. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(10), 1780, 2019. Examines the relationship between public library proximity and neighborhood walkability outcomes.
View article →Journal Article · IJIDI
Food Justice in the Public Library: Information, Resources, and Meals
Lenstra, N. & D'Arpa, C. The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion, 3(4), 45–67, 2019. Explores how public libraries support food justice through information services, community resources, and meal programs.
View article →Journal Article · Evidence Based Library and Information Practice
Movement-Based Programs in U.S. and Canadian Public Libraries: Evidence of Impacts from an Exploratory Survey
Lenstra, N. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 12(4), 214–232, 2017. An exploratory survey documenting the scope and impacts of movement-based programming across American and Canadian public libraries.
View article →For a full list of publications, including articles, chapters, and reports, see my Google Scholar profile.
Google Scholar ProfileOn the Road
I speak regularly at library conferences, active transportation summits, and community health gatherings — reaching audiences of practitioners, policymakers, and community partners across the United States and internationally.
My talks draw on two decades of practice-centered research to make the case for libraries as indispensable social infrastructure — and to equip practitioners with concrete tools for building lasting community partnerships.
International Lecture & Workshop
Community-Led Libraries
Knjižnica i čitaonica "Fran Galović" — Koprivnica, Croatia
Invited by the Affiliate American Space Koprivnica project — with support from the US Embassy in Zagreb — to deliver a lecture and interactive workshop on community-led librarianship at the "Fran Galović" Library and Reading Room in Koprivnica.
Event page →Invited Presenter
Foster Social Cohesion through Relationships and Partnerships
Library Summit on Social Cohesion — Massachusetts Library System, MBLC & Simmons University SLIS
"How to Start, Sustain, and Grow your Library's Network"
Presented a four-step model for relationship-driven librarianship: planting seeds of partnership, nurturing co-developed ideas, harvesting accomplishments, and resting for future partnerships — with concrete tools for advocating for the time this work requires.
Event program →Opening Keynote
Let's Get Healthy Together
Arizona Library Association Annual Conference
Made the case that wellness initiatives focused on library staff are the foundation for wellness initiatives for patrons — equipping attendees to advocate for workplace wellness, try evidence-based principles, and find lasting community health partners.
Speaker profile →Featured Speaker
Libraries, Walking, & Active Communities
NC BikeWalk Summit — BikeWalkNC
Featured speaker at North Carolina's premier active transportation summit, connecting the library world with cycling and walking advocates. Drew on Let's Move in Libraries research and membership in Bicycling in Greensboro (BIG) to bridge two fields rarely in conversation.
Speaker page →International Invited Participant
Libraries, Health & Community Partnerships
EDGE Conference — Edinburgh, Scotland
Invited participant at the EDGE Conference in Edinburgh, presenting on how public libraries in the United States support healthy living through community partnerships — part of an ongoing dialogue with Scottish library leaders on library health and wellbeing strategy.
Watch on Vimeo →International Invited Speaker
Let's Move in Libraries — An International Perspective
Taiwan — International Library Engagement
Invited to speak with library leaders in Taiwan on how American public libraries support physical activity and community health through innovative partnerships, extending the Let's Move in Libraries model to an international audience.
View on X/Twitter →Keynote
Libraries & Librarians as Critical Components of a Culture of Health
Metrolina Library Association Annual Conference — "Renew '22" · UNC Charlotte
Keynoted MLA's annual gathering, presenting findings from the IMLS-funded HEAL at the Library project — including the discovery that the most impactful and sustainable library-health partnerships grow from library staff who feel supported both within their institutions and their communities.
Conference page →International Keynote
Libraries & Healthy Living — An International Perspective
Leap from the Page Library Conference — Australia
Invited to deliver the keynote address at Australia's Leap from the Page conference, bringing an international dimension to the Let's Move in Libraries work and exploring how library-community health partnerships translate across different national contexts.
Available for keynotes, workshops, and webinars on libraries, community health, partnership-building, and active living. Reaches practitioner, policy, and cross-sector audiences.
Get in Touch
I welcome inquiries from researchers, practitioners, community partners, journalists, and students. Don't hesitate to reach out.
Office
456 School of Education Building
1300 Spring Garden St, Greensboro, NC 27402
