Serving Older Adults

This morning I attended a presentation on serving older adults in libraries. It was centered around a discussion of a draft toolkit that the ALA Office of Literacy and Outreach Services is putting together. The presenter, Kathy Mayo, spent a little bit of time introducing and explaining the toolkit, but for the most part she led a lively discussion of ideas about the ways in which libraries serve older adults. The central organizing question for the toolkit, she said, was: What can libraries do to help make lifelong learning a reality?

Below are some of the questions that came up for discussion, and a few of the responses from the audience:

• What terminology should we use when talking about older adults? First the audience brainstormed all the terms they could think of: senior, senior citizen, older adult, mature, elder, seasoned, retiree, re-active. One participant pointed out that many older adults object to the term senior citizen because it implies that they are at death's door. Mayo suggested asking patrons what they prefer to be called, but using the most respectful term possible by default: person.
• Why do we need to categorize any programs based on age? In many cases we don't: age may be less relevant than area of interest. For example, crafting programs are often intergenerational. However, some programs rely on funding that specifies the age of the target audience (e.g., some federally funded home delivery programs). One audience member shared information about a California statewide initiative which is called simply "Transforming Life after 50."
• What if your library is in competition with senior centers or other senior service organizations? There are lots of ways to collaborate with other organizations: serve on their boards, brainstorm ways you can supplement each other, etc. One audience member talked about she had brought her library's Wii to an area agency on aging fair. She was the hit of the fair, she said. Other suggestions included connecting with the activities directors of senior centers or retirement homes, and telling them "You're doing a program on ___; here's what the library can provide (for example, large print, audiobooks, coffee table books, or bifolkal kits).
• How can libraries best serve people with hearing loss or other disabilities? Just because your library hasn't received complaints doesn't mean your doing all that you should to provide services to people with disabilities. Libraries need to be proactive in this area. Buildings should be accessible, with wide aisles and seating available throughout. One audience member shared an experience where a patron called to request home service because the library had removed the bench at the transit stop and she could no longer sit to wait for the bus. Libraries also need to provide solid, up-to-date, culturally relevant large print and audio collections. As baby boomers age, the genres demanded in large print and audio will change. Good lighting is another important, but often overlooked, element of service to seniors.
• How do you advocate for seniors with your library administration? Many libraries (including SPL, I can't help but noting) have designated web pages for children or teens but not for seniors. Why not? Several participants noted success with senior advisory boards, along the lines of teen advisory boards that many libraries use.
• What kinds of programs have been successful with seniors? Audience members shared tons of ideas for programming, including: gardening, travel, local issues and history, reminiscing (possibly with the help of bifolkal kits), and gaming.

All in all, lots of great ideas and things to think about.