Libraries & Seniors
Strengthening Services for Older Missourians
The Report and Recommendations of the Task Force on Library Services for Older Adults
Issues of providing library services to older adults
The Task Force identified six key issues regarding providing library services to older Missourians. These are:
- Diversity of the population
- Planning library services
- Promoting library services
- Training library staff
- Automation and technology
- Agency collaboration
These issues provide a framework for the recommendations made by the Task Force. A discussion of each issue follows.
Diversity |
In more ways than one, diversity is the key word in describing Missouri seniors aged 60 and over, and no generalizations can be made to characterize them. Like other age groups, seniors in Missouri encompass people with different levels of needs, abilities, interests and resources. And, to make planning library services more difficult, the characteristics of the aged population of the future are likely to be quite different than those of today's population. The "aging population" may range in age from 60 to over 100, a span of more than forty years. Obviously, this broad range may encompass a great variety of characteristics: working to retired, parents to grandparents, mobile to physically impaired or homebound, reader to non-reader. Libraries can play a role in developing services that stress this diversity and provide continuity in the lives of seniors during the aging process. |
Planning Library |
Although public libraries have developed ways to serve older adults for more than 50 years, services to the aged have not kept pace with the aging population growth. While many innovative programs have been implemented, most have traditionally focused on large print book collections and services to nursing homes and the homebound. (1) The senior services survey conducted by the Missouri State Library in April 1997 indicates that this traditional approach still holds true for the most part. In order to be prepared for the older adult population explosion that is taking place, libraries need to begin planning now. That means evaluating what services they currently offer, examining the over 60 population in their community, identifying the population's current and future needs, determining what services and programs to implement to meet those needs, and finally, how to evaluate what progress the library has made. And in order to establish a leadership role in serving the elderly, libraries will have to do all of the above, while breaking through old paradigms of library services for senior adults. (1)Kleiman, Allan. "The Aging Agenda: Redefining Library Services for a Graying Population." Library Journal, April 15, 1995. |
Promoting Library |
Even library staff who serve a large number of seniors recognize there are many more in their community who are not being served. One reason proposed for this phenomenon was that people do not become library users until they need a service the library offers. It is clear, however, that this is neither an adequate nor a sole reason for members of the senior adult community to be non-library users. Libraries clearly must rethink service and marketing strategies and set priorities. They must focus on both current senior library users, as well as infrequent or non-library users. A fresh look at the library's definition of senior adults, as well as an examination of the changing demographics and characteristics of this population and its impact on the library is needed. |
Training Library |
While in many cases services to older adults is a matter of awareness and focus, library staff that have not developed an understanding of these services will deliver inadequate services. Connie Van Fleet, professor at Louisiana State University, notes that "without the opportunity to develop a knowledge of the older adult population, many librarians fall prey to the fallacy of the illness model of aging." (2) Knowledge of the demographics and diversity of the older adult population, learning abilities and styles of older adults, community services and resources targeted to older adults, and techniques and strategies for adapting materials and services for older adults with disabilities will prepare library staff to plan and provide exemplary and innovative services for seniors in their community. In addition, library staff trained in these areas will become advocates for library services for seniors. (2)Van Fleet, Connie. "Public Libraries, Lifelong Learning, and Older Adults: Background and Recommendations," Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Ed, OERI, 1995. |
Automation and |
A current and explosive trend in libraries is automation and technology. Access to library collections has become automated, as has access to many reference and information sources. Internet connections are common, and library collections themselves are being digitized. A plethora of information about aging and about issues of interest to older adults is available over the Internet. With 30 percent of adults over 55 owning computers, (3) and 19 percent of all Internet users being age 50 or over, seniors' use of technology is an issue that must be addressed by libraries. Over 22,000 adults between the ages of 55 and 100 are members of SeniorNet, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a community of computer-using seniors. Seniors use computers as business tools, for entertainment and for educational purposes. The Internet provides new avenues for socialization and information exchange. Targeted technology training to meet the technology needs of seniors, adaptive devices that allow easier access to technology, free email accounts, and the creation of senior computer clubs are just some services libraries should consider implementing. (3)Adler, Richard P. "Older Adults and Computers: Report of a National Survey." SeniorNet, 1996. |
Agency |
Numerous agencies that provide services for adults 60 and over exist in every Missouri community. Missouri has ten Area Agencies on Aging, each serving a specific geographic area, whose purpose it is to coordinate services and programs for persons 60 and older in each area. Area Agencies on Aging fund local senior centers, transportation, legal assistance and information and referral services. The Division of Aging has staff assigned to every Missouri county. Service to seniors is an area that is ripe for cooperative projects. The ultimate goal of a cooperative project is to make the most effective use of resources while enhancing the quality of seniors' lives. Libraries that seek out, network and partner with other senior-related agencies will be the most successful in planning, funding and implementing innovative programs targeted to older adults. |