Hello I’m Bart, researcher and culture professional. In my early life I studied to be a woodworker and car mechanic. Later, when studying history in Ghent (Flanders) I was absorbed by social history and textile heritage. Subsequently I wrote a master’s thesis about the way the labour movements used the novel, fiction and libraries as a tools for the social mobility of the working class.I continued this as a heritage professional (and volunteer) in community projects about the social history of textile workers in the countryside, the wonderful world of pigeon sport culture, a textile strike called the ‘cow of Wetteren’ and other projects. I did research and developed projects with local people looking at how stories can sustainably be embedded in neighbourhoods and communities. From there I moved to delivering long-term outreach projects that focus on the use of heritage collections to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities. For the past number of years, I have been a leading voice in, discussions on culturally mediated wellbeing in Belgium, but with considerable international impact.Now I am a PhD researcher between UCL Arts & Sciences and Information Studies, investigating public libraries as social infrastructure for creative health, with a particular view toward supporting displaced people. I also organise international conferences and deliver international training events. I have has published several books and articles on different topics related to culture, health and wellbeing.