Services to Older Adults: Preliminary Findingsfrom Three Maryland Public Libraries

David Piper, Serenity Palmer, and Bo XieCollege of Information Studies, University of Maryland, Room 4105 Hornbake Bldg, South Wing,College Park, MD 20742. E-mail: dpiper@umd.edu, spalmer@umd.edu, boxie@umd.edu

This article reports preliminary findings of an evaluation of the services to older adults

at three public libraries in Maryland. Data were collected in spring 2007 through in-

terviews with nine library administrators and staff, and surveys with twenty-six older

adult patrons at the three libraries. Approximately eight hours of observation were

also conducted to gather contextual data to supplement the interview and surveydata. The seven guidelines laid out by the American Library Association (1999) were

used to guide the design of data collection instruments and the analysis of data. One

key finding is that these libraries offer few programs and services geared to healthy

and active older adults, thus leaving much room for improvement in the future. Inter-

estingly, the libraries still received high praisefrom the older adult participants, a phe-nomenon that requires further examination. A number of recommendations areoffered to help public libraries to better serve the aging population in their communi-ties.

Keywords: Older adults, aging, public libraries, user satisfaction, American Library

Association Guidelines

Introduction

The population of the United States isaging rapidly. By 2005, 36.8 million

Americans were age 65 and above, a9.4% increase since 1995 (Administra-tion on Aging, 2006). The number ofolder adults in the country will continueto rise in the coming years as the BabyBoomers age. It is projected that the pop-ulation of people 65 or older will expandto 40 million in 2010, and reach 55 mil-lion by 2020-a 36% increase in that de-cade alone (Administration on Aging,2006).

American public libraries have tradi-tionally focused most of their resourceson the frail, homebound, and older adultsresiding in institutions. While these ini-tiatives were well-intentioned, theysometimes came at the expense of the ma-

jority of older adults who are active andgenerally healthy (Kleiman, 1995;Moore, 1985; Robertson, 2001; VanFleet, 1989). In addition, similar to whatBundy (2005) found among the Austra-lian libraries he studied, many public li-braries in the United States do not haveolder adult specialists, or services andprograms geared to older adults. Part ofthe challenge is that many public librar-ies, especially smaller and rural libraries,face increasing budgetary problems(Gordon, Gordon, Moore, & Heuertz,2003; Bill and Melinda Gates Founda-tion, 2004). But even when public librar-ies do offer these services, they aresometimes mixed with programs forother age groups (Van Fleet, 1989). As aresult, older adults may not alwaysreceive age-specific attention (Van Fleet,1995).

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ISSN: 0748-5786 @2009 Association for Library and Information Science Education 107

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In this article, we report the major find-ings of the evaluation of library servicesto older adults at three public libraries inMaryland. Along the way, we aim to em-phasize that older adults are not a homog-enous user group, but rather have diverseinterests, skills and needs, which publiclibraries need to better address. Finally,we propose potential further research di-rections, and recommendations to helppublic libraries better meet the needs ofolder adult patrons, including both thosewho are homebound or institutionalizedand those who are more healthy andactive.

Though the study described here haslimitations with regards to the small sam-ple size and the not-identical data collec-tion instruments used at each library, webelieve that the findings are still usefulfor public libraries nationwide. In partic-ular, library staff could use our methods,findings, and recommendations to evalu-ate and improve their own programs andservices to older adults, which could helpto attract older adult patrons. Not only dopublic libraries potentially stand to gainassistance from older adults as volun-teers, advisors, or staff, but these "satis-fied customers" could be strong allieswhen county governments are decidingwhat public services should receive morefunding (Mates, 2004).

Literature Review

Previous research has addressed thediverse information needs and interestsof the older population (Jones, Morrow,Morris, Rites, & Wekstein, 1992;Moore & Young, 1985; Palmer, 1988;Wicks 2004). Income, transportation,health and healthcare, housing, nutri-tion, homemaker services, employ-ment, consumer needs, legal problems,companionship, and nursing home careare among the most common types ofinformation in which that older adultsare generally interested (Moore &

Young, 1985). Other researchers havepointed out that these diverse interestshave encouraged older adults to use themass media, including various printsources, radio, and television for find-ing information relating to personalneeds and leisure activities (Chatman,1991; Williamson, 1998). Older adultsalso rely on interpersonal contacts-es-pecially family and friends-as sourcesof information (Wicks, 2004; William-son, 1998).

In addition to their diverse informationneeds and interests, older adults them-selves are diverse, including the fullrange of cultural, ethnic and racialgroup-affiliations that occur in the largersociety as a whole. There are also differ-ent age stages among the older adult pop-ulation. It has been documented that the"young-old" (60-74), "old-old" (75-84),and "oldest-old" (85+) have differentskill levels, interests, and at varyingstages in life (Kleiman,1995; Turock,1982; Wicks, 2004). Key among the olderadults entering into the "young-old"stage are the Baby Boomers who are chal-lenging earlier stereotypes about what itmeans to be an older adult through theways that their interests and capabilitiesaffect how they adjust to retirement age(Dempsey, 2007; Hildreth, 2006;Kleiman, 1995; Moen, 2003).

With the onset of the Internet boom ofthe last decade, more attention has beengiven to older adults' use-or rather,non-use-of computers for information.While greater numbers of Americanolder adults are using computers, only35% over 65 use the Internet. In compari-son, 90% of Americans 18-29 are goingonline (Pew Internet & American LifeProject, 2008). While age-relatedchanges have contributed to difficultiesfor older adults trying to use computers(Chaparro et al., 2000; Charness &Holley, 2001; Smith, Sharit, & Czaja,1999), lack of training and technical sup-port is another major factor affectingolder adults' use of computers and the

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Internet (Xie, 2003). Most public librar-ies have not been able to help to addressthe generational digital divide, mainlybecause budgetary shortfalls at public li-braries do not allow them to provide com-puter training for older adults (Bill andMelinda Gates Foundation, 2004).

While some attention has been paid tothe generational digital divide, relativelylittle is known about potential gender dif-ferences in older adults' computer use.An earlier study found that factors suchas age and gender can influence attitudestowards technology (Kraus & Hoyer,1983). Barnett and Adkins (2001) exam-ined the online experiences of olderwomen in Australia and found that eventhough these older women had differentlevels of technical skill, each of them wasable to find ways to use computers andthe Internet to build relationships, andstay mentally active. Another study ex-amined older adults' range of motion intheir wrists, and found that older menmay have more difficulty using computerinput devices than older women(Chaparro et al., 2000).

In evaluating public library services toolder adults, the American Library As-sociation's Guidelines for Older Adults(American Library Association [ALA],1999) can be very useful (there are sevensections in the ALA guidelines, whichwe will describe in more detail when re-porting the major findings of our study;see the Findings section below). Theseguidelines were first created in 1975 andhave been updated twice in 1987 and1999. The ALA Guidelines are pertinentto services to older adults because theystress three important things: (I) Em-powerment in terms of allowing olderadults to have a say in the creation of ser-vices for older adults; (2) A focus onfinding ways to help older adults to stayhealthy mentally, physically, and so-cially; and (3) The important role oftechnology in improving the lives ofolder adults, especially through Internetusage.

The Present Study

The findings discussed in this articleare based on research conducted in agraduate course entitled OlderAdults'In-formation Needs, Behaviors, and Re-sotirces at the University of Maryland inCollege Park. A main assignment in thecourse required teams of three to five stu-dents to select a public library and write areport evaluating its past, current, andplanned services to older adults. Theteams were each required to use a combi-nation of research methods in order tocollect data from library administra-tors/staff and older adult patrons at theirchosen library. Three public librarieswere studied because they were easily ac-cessible for the members on each team,and were where some of the students pre-viously worked or volunteered. Data col-lection instruments were based on theALA Guidelines (1999) and question-naires used in an Australian study(Bundy, 2005).

Key Research Questions

Key research questions included:

"* What are the past, current and plannedpublic library services and programsfor older adults?

"* What are the main reasons behind theseservices and programs for older adults?(e.g., library administrators/staff'sperceptions of the characteristics,needs and preferences of older adultpatrons in their communities, availablefunding).

"* What are older adult patrons'perceptions of their libraries' servicesand programs for people of their age?

Research Sites

We report here major findings fromthree public libraries: Library A and Li-brary B, both of which are branch librar-ies of the Prince George's County

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Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) inMaryland. Library C is a branch libraryof the Montgomery County Public Li-brary (MCPL) in Maryland. These librar-ies all serve ethnically-diversepopulations. Both Library A and LibraryB have significant African Americanpopulations; Library B also has a largeHispanic or Latino population. Mean-while, Library C has a relatively largeAsian population. More detailed demo-graphic information about the geo-graphic area of each of these libraries isreported in Table 1.

Staff Interviews

Each team of student researchers con-tacted the administration and gained per-mission to conduct interviews with staff,administer survey questionnaires amongolder adult patrons of the library, andconduct observation of the older adult pa-trons. The student researchers wanted toget input from as many view points aspossible, so they conducted interviewswith library staff at varying levels of hier-archy, including branch managers, refer-

ence librarians, and circulation staff.With the exception of one interview con-ducted over the phone, all interviews withlibrary staff were conducted face-to-faceand took place at the respective library.While the questions in the interviewswere worded somewhat differently byeach team, they all centered around thethree key research questions.

Older Adult Patron Surveys

Older adult patrons' insights weregained through surveys. A total of 26older adults filled out the survey ques-tionnaires. More detailed informationabout these older adult participants isshown in Table 2.

To select older adult patrons for thesurveys, the student researchers ap-proached patrons that "looked" like olderadults and, after explaining the purposeof this study, the researchers then askedthese patrons if they would be willing toparticipate in the study. Interested pa-trons were given the consent form (ap-proved by the Institutional Review Boardof the University of Maryland) and any

Table 1: Demographic Profile of Areas of the Three Research Sites.

Library A Library B Library C U.S.

Total Population 50,269 14,733 47,388 281,421,906Percentage of population age 65 9.4% 10.9% 13.1% 12.4%and overRace/Ethnicity

Black or African American 30.8% 41.0% 9.1% 12.3%White 62.6% 39.5% 67.8% 75.1%Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 2.9% 18.1% 11.7% 12.5%Asian 2.9% 4.0% 14.8% 3.6%

Median Household Income 76,778 45,355 68,074 41,994(dollars)Non-English Speakers (at home) 9.1% 26.6% 36.9% 17.9%Minimum Education Level (of

Ages 25+)High school graduate or higher 94.7% 80.5% 89.1% 80.4%Bachelor's Degree or higher 43.0% 26.6% 52.9% 24.4%

Source: US Census Bureau (2000).

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Services to Older Adults: Preliminary Findings from Three Maryland Public Libraries 111

Table 2: Gender and Race/Ethnicity of Older Adult Survey Participants.

Library A Library B Library C Total

GenderFemale 5 5 5 15Male 6 5 11Total 11 5 10 26

Race/EthnicityWhite 9 4 7 20Black or African American 2 1 3Asian 3 3Total 11 5 10 26

questions the patrons had were answeredby the researchers. After obtaining thesigned consent form, each patron wasasked to fill out the questionnaire, whichtook approximately 15 minutes to com-plete. The student researchers remainedclose by to assist the older adults with anyquestions that arose during the process offilling out the questionnaire.

All three teams developed question-naires that contained both open- andclose-ended questions. The open-endedquestions allowed the older adults to an-swer some of the questions in their ownwords (e.g., "Do you have any thoughtsyou would like to share about the publiclibrary and its services?").

Some of the questions posed to theolder adults by the teams required that theolder adults also answer questions byway of a Likert Scale. An example of oneof these questions is "Based on previousinteractions, how likely is it that you willask the library staff for assistance in thefuture?" The older adult participantscould select one of the following anchors:"very likely," "likely," "neutral," "un-likely," or "very unlikely."

Library Observation

Another method of data collection wasapproximately eight hours of observa-tion. Specifically, the researchers wantedto discover which departments or areas of

the libraries older adults regularly use.With regards to older adults' behavior,the researchers also attemtped to observethe ways that older adults interact with li-brary staff and other patrons, as well asthe layout and accessibility of thelibraries.

Major Findings

The seven sections in the ALA Guide-lines for Older Adults (ALA, 1999) areused to guide the description of the find-ings below, including whether and towhat extent each of the libraries ad-dressed issues related to public libraryservices to older adults.

I. Integrate Older Adult Services into Li-brary's Overall Budget and Service Pro-gram

Overall, the three libraries that westudied budgeted little towards olderadult programs. None of them em-ployed an older adult specialist, butthere is a staff member in charge of co-ordinating older adult services for thewhole PGCMLS-which includes Li-braries A and B. This person helps toarrange delivery of library materialsto nursing homes and senior centers inPrince Georges County, and a similararrangement exists for the MCLs, towhich Library C belongs. It was dis-covered through staff interviews that

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none of the libraries had any separatefunding for older adult services, orcould give a definitive answer as towhen such services might be created.One exception was that both Library Aand B did maintain a budget for alarge-print collection.

2. Provide Older Adult Access to LibraryBuildings, Materials, Programs andServices

All three libraries offered home-bound services and were AmericanDisabilities Act-compliant. Yet, someproblems with accessibility werenonetheless apparent. For example,one librarian at Library A had diffi-culty using a wheelchair at the en-trance because the sidewalk ramp was"too steep." Construction at Library Calso caused access problems for pa-trons. Nevertheless, many of the olderadult participants at Library C de-scribed their enjoyment of the layoutand look of the branch itself, whichgave the library a welcoming ambi-ance. Other positive aspects of Li-brary C include both a DisabilityResource Center and a Special NeedsLibrary housed in the same building.Yet, the researchers at all threebranches noticed through observationsome minor access issues, such as theneed for bolder call numbers on bookspines, better lighting, and bookcasesthat are more easily reached by olderadults.

3. Treat All Older Adults with Respect atEvery Service Point

Each library received high praisefrom their older adult patrons. At Li-brary A, all older adults surveyedagreed that the reference librarianswere friendly and helpful. However,there were some differences in genderby responses at Library A: while theolder women participants were mostsatisfied with the library's cleanli-ness, older men liked its accessibility.Meanwhile, the staff at Library B also

received generally high marks from itsolder adult patrons. In fact, four of thefive older adult participants at LibraryB said that even though their informa-tion needs had changed as they grewolder, Library B accommodated themwell. One older adult at Library Beven went so far as describing publiclibraries as "one of the greatest publicservices we have in the U.S." At Li-brary C, eight out of the ten older adultparticipants said that their experi-ences at this library's informationdesk were "very helpful," and the re-maining two said they were "some-what helpful." When asked to listthree things that they liked best aboutLibrary C, the older adults replied thatthey appreciated the helpful andfriendly staff, the beauty and spacious-ness of the library, and its materials.

4. Utilize the Experience and Expertise ofOlder Adults

The ALA guidelines request that li-braries should take actions to ensurethat older adults are visible as volun-teers, staff, and on advisory boards atpublic libraries (ALA, 1999). With re-gards to volunteerism, there are bene-fits for both the library and olderadults. For one thing, many olderadults are retired and able to assistwith activities that may be harder forlibraries to accomplish with limitedstaff. Growing empirical evidencealso suggests that "volunteering slowsthe decline in self-reported health andfunctioning levels, slows the increasein depression levels, and improvesmortality rates" (Lum & Lightfoot,2005, p. 31). Unfortunately, eventhough there were some older adultvolunteers at all three libraries that westudied, none of these libraries hadplans to recruit older adults as staff orto create senior advisory boards. Also,none of these libraries were offeringtraining for staff on how to communi-cate with older adult patrons.

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5. Provide and Promote Information andResources on Aging

With regards to information and re-sources on aging, we noticed thatwhile all three libraries had print andonline resources pertaining to retire-ment planning and health issues, col-lection development in these areas didnot appear to be emphasized. Our pa-tron surveys revealed that older adultparticipants at all three librariesmostly favored information about en-tertainment and leisure, while fiction,travel, and retirement sources werealso popular. Many of these olderadults also read magazines and news-papers, and checked-out DVDs/vid-eos. It is noteworthy that Library C hasa large Asian user population, and asmentioned earlier (Table 2), three ofthe older adult survey participants atLibrary C were of Asian origin. Twoof these participants were observedbrowsing AV materials, and seekingrecreational books, while the third, aman who said he was originally fromChina, came to the library to find ma-terials on "citizenship."

6. Provide Library Services Appropriateto the Needs of Older Adults

Neither of the participating branchlibraries of the PGCMLS offer manylifelong learning opportunities specif-ically designed for older adults,though there are classes open to all agegroups that older adults may attend.For example, staff at Library A indi-cated that book discussions are popu-lar among older adults, and Library Boffers free programs such as bilingualtutoring and English conversationclubs for non-English speakers.

One especially important programfor older adults that none of the threelibraries offered was computer in-struction geared for older adults. Staffat Library C said that since there aretwenty-two computer terminals lo-cated near the information desk, a li-

brarian could assist older adults withtechnological problems. Meanwhile,although no computer classes werecurrently being offered at Library B toolder adults, librarians at that branchdid give individualized sessions toteach patrons how to uses databasesavailable on their computers. LibraryB staff claimed that about 20% of thepatrons using this service were aged65 or older. A computer class for allage groups had previously been of-fered there, but was discontinued dueto low attendance.

7. Collaborate with Community Agenciesand Groups Serving Older Adults

ALA guidelines require that public li-braries try to collaborate with other or-ganizations that offer senior-orientedservices such as community or seniorcenters, veterans' organizations, or edu-cational institutions in order to foster li-brary/local community involvementand life-long learning initiatives (ALA,1999). Regarding collaborations, Li-brary C was not found to be partneringwith any outside groups, except for aprogram with the Counselors to Amer-ica's Small Business Association(SCORE). SCORE is a nationalnon-profit association that allows peo-ple to learn from retired business execu-tives about the "formation, growth andsuccess of small business nationwide"(SCORE, n.d.). Library C's role is thatof a host facility for people interested inattending the SCORE meetings. Theonly collaboration found at Library Awas that the American Association ofRetired Persons (AARP) provides an-nual tax services to older adults at thislibrary. Meanwhile, Library B has beencollaborating with other organizationssuch as developing a classic films pro-gram with a local theater, and allowingthe literacy council to meet on its pre-mises, but they were not partnering withgroups that specialize in older adults'needs.

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Discussion

As reported above, each library that westudied received high marks from theolder adult participants, despite the over-all lack of older adult-oriented services asrecommended by the ALA Guidelines(ALA, 1999). This was the case espe-cially with regards to the older adult par-ticipants' attitudes towards library staff.The older adult participants generally feltthat reference assistance was friendly andhelpful in attaining needed information.The question that these findings lead us toask was why these older adults were satis-fied, despite the issues our study identi-fied (e.g., each of these libraries hadsome access difficulties, they offeredfew, if any, services and programs to ac-tive older adults, did not have older adultspecialists/advisory boards, and did notappear to be planning any future servicesto remedy these issues). One possible an-swer might be that having older adult-re-lated programming may not be asimportant to older adult patrons as havingthe friendly, positive atmosphere that apublic library can offer. Older adults maysimply enjoy having interactions with alibrary staff member who is friendly, ap-pears knowledgeable, and takes the timeto listen to patrons' information requests(Durrance, 1989, 1995). Having thechance to speak casually with a friendlyreference librarian may help to meet thesocial and emotional needs of the olderadults, especially those who live alone orfar from loved ones. Our older adult par-ticipants may be happy with the sense of"place" that their public library offers tothem. This is further illustrated in someof the Library C participants' responsesthat the renovations at that branch hadmade their visits even more enjoyablebecause of a more welcoming ambiance.

Another possible answer might be thatthese older adults were not dissatisfiedbecause they were not aware that theseshortcomings existed at their libraries. Inother words, it could be a case of not

missing what you do not have. Perhapsthese older adults expected that few pro-grams and services that took into accountdiversities of their interest and needscould exist at their library. However,since the three libraries did not appear toaggressively publicize any programs thatthey do offer, it probably should come asno surprise that the older adults are notaware that their needs could be better ad-dressed. In fact, one respondent at Li-brary B said that she was not aware thatthe library offered one-to-one instructionon how to use databases to search theInternet.

To determine the reasons behind thisfinding, more systematic examination ofolder adult patrons is necessary, includ-ing asking older adult patrons how awarethey are of services that are (not) offeredat their branch. This would allow us to ex-amine whether the general level of satis-faction we found in the older adultparticipants in this study would be differ-ent if older adult patrons were to becomemore conscious of the extent to which theservices offered by their branch meet theALA guidelines. Perhaps the generallevel of satisfaction might be lower if theolder adults believed that they were beingshort-changed with regards to services.On the other hand, responses to a ques-tion that asked older adult patrons to ratethe services (e.g., access to olderadult-specific materials, computer in-struction, helpful and knowledgeablestaff) that they believe are the most im-portant to their needs, might help in un-derstanding what it is that older adultsreally want from their public libraries.

Another issue that deserves attention iswhether the ALA guidelines need to beupdated. While each of the seven guide-lines were useful for structuring this pro-ject, the fact that few of the three librariesmet any of them-yet the older adultswere still generally satisfied-points tothe possible need to revise the guidelines.Emphasis on guidelines as compared toothers may be lacking. For instance, is

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Guideline #3 ("Treat all older adults withrespect at every service point") more im-portant to a library's success with olderadults than #8 ("Utilize the experienceand expertise of older adults")? Our find-ings seem to support such an argument,though more systematic examination isnecessary before any firm conclusion canbe drawn.

In addition, future research needs totake into account the potential impact ofthe time of the day on the sample selec-tion and, consequently, on the researchfindings. The surveys for this study wereconducted during Friday and Saturdayafternoons. How different would thefindings have been if the surveys wereconducted during the evenings, whenolder adults who work in the daytimevisit the library? Could the older adultswho visit the library during the morningsand afternoons have more free time tolearn about computers than older adultswho have to work during the day? Thesequestions deserve further attention.

Recommendations

Based on our findings, we recommendthat public libraries interested in betterserving their communities' aging popula-tions: (I) Use computer classes to pro-mote collaboration and lifelong learning;(2) Provide more outreach to olderadults; (3) Approach older adults; and (4)Engage minority and foreign-born olderadults groups.

Use Computer Classes to PromoteCollaboration and Lifelong Learning

Libraries need to collaborate withother organizations and create programsthat promote intergenerational learningand interaction through, for instance,computer training (Xie & Jaeger, 2008).In our study, we found that recently therehave been concerns at Library A aboutteenagers from a nearby high school whocome to the library after school and loiter,

talk loudly and engage in other disruptivebehavior. These concerns have promptedthe library to hire a security guard andhave a local sheriff patrol the library onweekday afternoons. Perhaps an addi-tional solution would be to develop anintergenerational program in which theteenagers teach the older adults to usecomputers. This type of intergenerationalprogramming might help to break downstereotypes that younger people have ofolder adults, while also cementing strongcommunity ties (Friedman, 1997). To en-courage teenagers to participate, the li-braries could work with the schools toaward service learning credit. Anotheroption is to try "seniors-only" computerclasses. Eventually, older adult graduatesfrom the classes could teach other olderadults in a peer-to-peer program, whichmay help older adults feel morecomfortable and welcome (Rosser-Hogben, 2004).

Another positive aspect of computertraining is that it could help isolated olderadults maintain contact with family andfriends. For example, e-mail or participa-tion in senior-oriented online discussiongroups or chat rooms could help olderadults not only find support for the chal-lenges presented by aging, but also formnew friendships with age peers who havesimilar interests. These types of activitiescan help empower older adults and givethem a better sense of control over per-sonal and social lives (Dunst, Trivette, &Lapointe, 1992; McMellon & Schiffman2002).

Provide More Outreach to Older Adults

Public libraries need to better publicizeany special programs or services to olderadults in the surrounding community.Not only should libraries post informa-tion about older adult services withintheir libraries or on a website, but also inplaces where older adults are frequentlyfound, like churches, American Legionposts, grocery stores, senior centers, and

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hospitals. A concerted attempt at out-reach not only helps to publicize events,but it is also a good way to draw nonusersinto public libraries (Moore, 1985).

Approach Older Adults

Another important step that public li-braries can take to ensure older adults'needs are being met is to simply ask themwhat their needs are. As Jones et al.(1992) suggest, "the first step in any at-tempt to help elderly people cope with themyriad demands of later life is to find outwhat they perceive their needs to be" (pp.227-228). Periodic user surveys or a sug-gestion box specifically for older adultsto provide feedback and to share theirideas on how the library can better suittheir needs are two mechanisms for col-lecting this information. Public librariesneed to ask older adults what their needsare, rather than assuming that these needsare self-evident.

Engage Minority and Foreign-bornOlder Adult Groups

Public libraries could also benefit fromuser studies of ethnic minorities in theircommunities. Minority groups among allolder adults in the United States are pro-jected to increase to 8.1 million (just over20% of the older adult population) in2010, and then to 12.9 million (23.6%) by2020 (Administration on Aging, 2006).Public libraries should learn about thecultural traditions among ethnic minoritygroups in order to create programmingthat celebrates older adults' diverse back-grounds. Public libraries might also cele-brate the cultural diversity of older adultsby planning exhibits that celebrate suchholidays as Chinese New Year, Cinco deMayo and Kwanzaa. Older adult volun-teers could be in charge of setting up thematerials and telling stories and folktalesto children from their native cultures.These culturally-based initiatives mayalso bring non-users into public libraries.

Conclusion

Through surveying older adults, inter-viewing staff and observation, this studyfound that not enough attention was be-ing given to older adults' needs at threeMaryland public libraries. Yet, despitethe lack of specifically-targeted pro-grams, services and leadership opportu-nities for older adults, the older adultparticipants expressed general satisfac-tion with their libraries, and specifically,with reference services. While more re-search is needed to understand this as-sessment by older adults, the generallystrong approval rating of reference staffand librarians found in our study maysuggest that these older adults put morevalue on a kind and helpful environmentthan they do on services and programsgeared toward older adults. It is also pos-sible that the level of satisfaction is re-lated to these older adults' lack ofawareness that their libraries are not of-fering the services and programs gearedtoward older adults that the ALAguidelines recommend. These aspectsshould be examined in future research.

Based on our findings, we recommendthat public libraries should be moreproactive in addressing the diverse needsand interests of their older adult patrons,including interaction with foreign-bornand minority groups in the libraries' com-munities. Better outreach efforts to publi-cize services may help bring older adultswho are currently non-users into the li-brary for lifelong learning and empower-ment. These recommendations can helppublic libraries to better serve the rapidlyaging population in their communities.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the re-viewers of an early version of this articlethat was presented as ajuried paper at theAssociation for Library and InformationScience Education 2008 AnnualConference.

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TITLE: Services to Older Adults: Preliminary Findings fromThree Maryland Public Libraries

SOURCE: J Educ Libr Inf Sci 50 no2 Spr 2009

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