1. Surfing the Senior Tsunami
Serving Seniors in the Public Library

2. Generation quick facts
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3. Generation quick facts
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4. Facets of Aging
“Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Mark Twain

5. Potential Challenges
• Physical
– Decreased Mobility
– Decreased Hearing and/or Eyesight
– Health issues
• Social
– Intergenerational households
– Financial fraud
– Budgeting for a different lifestyle
– Digital literacy
– Isolation / Loss of independence
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6. Potential Benefits
• More time to spend with grandchildren and
family
• More free time
– Travel
– Hobbies
• Engaged civic leadership
– Volunteering
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7. Aging paradigm
• Negative cultural associations with aging.
• Reality is:
– we are all aging.
– many of us have same life experiences regardless
of age.
• Library is community center for all levels of
life.
– Early childhood development, High school
equivalency, Second career, Personal
development
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8. Know Your Community
The aging process has you firmly in its
grasp if you never get the urge to throw a
snowball.
Doug Larson

9. Stellar Library Service
• Paradigm of ageism
• Same customer service approach applies!
– Attitude, Understanding, Patience, Respect
– Internal terms=Late adulthood, Older people,
Older adults
– External terms=Focus on interests
• Find an example!!!
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10. Stellar Library Service
• Mentoring/coaching our colleagues
– Leadership/communication development
– Demonstrate and teach mutual generational respect
• Professional development resources for
continued learning:
– Extra-legally ably challenged (ELAC) workshop
– Indiana Library for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped, http://www.in.gov/library/tbbl.htm
• Partnering
– With community groups
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11. Ask Yourself…
 What are the projections for the aging of your
community in 5, 10, or 15 years?
 Do you know how many seniors use your
library?
 How many seniors in your community have
library cards?
 How many attend programs?
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12. Develop a Plan
• Inventory current services
• Assign dedicated staff (if feasible)
• Do your research!
– American FactFinder
– Indiana State Library - State Data Center
• Include in your strategic planning process
– Indiana libraries who include aging adults as one of
their target audiences?
• Create an advisory board and include appropriate
representation from your community.
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13. Discussion
• Please work with one or two colleagues sitting
next to you.
• Discuss some the challenges and benefits of
aging as reported by your patrons, their
spouses, children and grandchildren.
• ????
• Write down some notes to share with the
group.
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14. Accessible Spaces
Everyone is the age of their heart.
Guatemalan Proverb

15. Dedicated Space
• Children’s Area √√
• Teen Area √√
• Adult Area?
Children and teens only make up 26.9% of
Indiana’s population vs. 30.3% of 50 and older
Hoosiers.
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16. Accessible Adult Spaces

17. Discussion
• Please work with one or two colleagues sitting
next to you.
• Discuss changes your library could potentially
make to your library space.
– Short term (easy, relatively inexpensive)
– Long term (involved, more costly)
• Write down some notes to share with the
group.

18. Senior Collections
Youth is a disease from which we all
recover.
Dorothy Fulheim

19. Dedicated Collection
• Different generations
– Varied interests & needs
• Modified Dewey
– Easy, browsing format
• Large Print
• AV, E-Books, Downloadable Audiobooks
• INSPIRE Virtual Library
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20. Areas of Emphasis
• Consumer Health
– Issues of Caregiving
– INSPIRE: Medline Plus
• Genealogy
– ISL & Allen County Genealogy Collections
– ISL: Indiana Memory
• Employment
– INSPIRE: Testing and Education Reference Center
• Finances & Retirement: Indiana Secretary of State’s Office
• Computers
– Goodwill Community Foundation Digital Literacy classes
• Hobbies
– INSPIRE: Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center
– INSPIRE: Home Improvement Reference Center
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21. Senior Programming
The key to successful aging is to pay
as little attention to it as possible.
Judith Regan

22. Programming
• Day, Afternoon, Evening, & Weekends
• Variety
– Engaging, Creative, Nostalgic, Hands-On /
Participatory
• Structure
– Linear with hands-on exercises
– Co-instructors who work one-on-one with
individuals
– Pair up different generations
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23. Sample Programs
• Movies and book clubs
• Games and gaming
• Travel series
• Senior-led or community-expert led presentations
– Expertise
– Hobbies
• Art classes, crafting
• Gardening, cooking, sewing, etc.
– Storytelling
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24. Technology Classes
• Barriers to using new technology
– Physical barriers
– Skeptical about benefits
– Hands-on assistance
• Potential tech classes
– Basics of Computing
– Internet security
– Photography
– Social Networking
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25. Discussion
• Please work with one or two colleagues sitting
next to you.
• What classes do you already offer? What
classes would you like to offer?
• Write down some notes to share with the
group.
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26. Marketing
It's sad to grow old, but nice to ripen.
Brigitte Bardot

27. Traditional
• Newsletters
• Newspapers
• Church / Synagogue Bulletins
• Radio
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28. Modern
• Websites
• Email Newsletters
• Social Networking
• Text / Mobile Marketing
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29. Local Connections
Grandchildren don't make a man feel old;
it's the knowledge that he's married to a
grandmother.
G. Norman Collie

30. Collaboration
• Don’t forget Outreach!
– Leave the library and go talk to people.
• Trade newsletter space with other
organizations
• Senior Community Fair
– Opportunity to spotlight services and
organizations
– Great beginning for Advisory Board
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31. Discussion
• Please work with one or two colleagues sitting
next to you.
• List some external organizations that your
library partners with for programming.
• Write down some notes to share with the
group.
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32. Reference resources on late
adulthood
None are so old as those who have
outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David Thoreau

33. Indiana Agencies
• Family and Social Services, Division on Aging
– http://www.in.gov/fssa/2329.htm
– Includes listing of regional agencies
• Leading Age Indiana
– http://www.leadingageindiana.org/
• Indiana Association of Area Agencies on Aging
– http://www.iaaaa.org/
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34. National Organizations
• American Association of Retired Persons
– www.aarp.org
• Federal Administration on Aging
– http://www.aoa.gov/
• EPA Age Initiative
– http://www.epa.gov/aging/
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35. Senior Spaces
 Old Bridge Public Library, NJ
 http://www.infolink.org/seniorspaces/diy/index.htm
 Tempe Public Library, AZ
 http://www.tempeconnections.org/
 Cuyahoga Public Library, OH
 http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/SeniorSpace.aspx
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36. Sources
• Kleiman, Allan. Serving Seniors With Panache, Lyrasis Workshop, October 26, 2009.
http://www.infolink.org/seniorspaces/index.htm
• Kleiman, Allan. Senior Spaces: The Library Place for Baby Boomers, Older Adults &
Their Families. World Library And Information Congress: 74th IFLA General
Conference And Council, 10-14 August 2008. Québec, Canada
http://ifla.queenslibrary.org/IV/ifla74/papers/071-Gendron-en.pdf
• A closer look at Gadget Ownership. June 28, 2012.
http://pewinternet.org/Infographics/2012/A-Closer-Look-at-Gadget-
Ownership.aspx
• Generations and Their Gadgets. February 3, 2011.
http://pewinternet.org/Infographics/2011/Generations-and-gadgets.aspx
• Growing Old in America: Expectations vs. Reality. June 29, 2009.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1269/aging-survey-expectations-versus-reality
• Older Adults and Internet Use. June 6, 2012.
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Older-adults-and-internet-use.aspx
• Serving Seniors: A Resource Manual for Missouri Libraries.
http://www.sos.mo.gov/library/development/services/seniors/manual/
11/1/2009
• New York Times - New Old Age Blog.
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/
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37. Thank You!
Shauna Borger
Indiana State Library
Professional Development Office Supervisor
317-232-3718
sborger@library.in.gov