A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Introduction

The Public Library Mission: Support For Lifelong Learning

In summarizing his research on adult learners, Penland (1978, p. 6) noted that adults "often feel a strong need to establish the pace and control the character of their learning experiences." Most adults express a preference for independent learning over formalized courses for a number of reasons: pacing, learning style, flexibility and the ability to change, control of structure, lack of classes, immediacy, time limitations, dislike of a classroom setting, expense, and transportation (Tough, 1979, p. 39). It appears that the very existence of opportunities for choice may in and of itself promote enhanced physical and mental well-being in older adults. "The negative consequences of aging may be retarded, reversed or possibly prevented by returning to the aged the right to make decisions and a feeling of competence" (Langer and Rodin, 1978).

The fundamental characteristics of the public library serve to underscore its suitability as an integral part of the learning society. The Commission on Non-Traditional Study found that "the public library should be strengthened to become a far more powerful instrument for nontraditional education than is now the case...It is a free institution where the individual has open access to great quantities of information. It exists in great numbers, possesses the materials of knowledge, has a public service staff, and is a referral point to other resources within the educational network"(Gould, 1978, pp. 82-83).

Public libraries offer a variety of access points and educational opportunities. The public library is the only major educational institution with a mission and tradition of providing learning opportunities throughout the entire human lifespan and is the most widely available institution that freely provides continuing education once the learner has completed secondary school. Supported by a multidisciplinary approach to lifelong learning, this mandate provides an opportunity for continuity, integration, and choice (Van Fleet, 1990).

Libraries are not necessarily new to older adult patrons. The public library frequently is an institution they have called on over the course of a lifetime and this familiarity provides security and a sense of stability. The transition to using the library for "older adult" services should be virtually seamless.

The intergenerational focus of the public library fosters a sense of belonging to the community. Older adults are not isolated or peripheral. They continue to visit the same building and to avail themselves of the same services as other age groups.

Older adults in the public library setting may choose the learning approach with which they are most comfortable. Those who choose to learn independently and individually may do so; those who prefer programs, discussions, or group activities will also find opportunities. Older adult learners may choose to attend programs designed for a general adult audience, be part of intergenerational programs that bring older adults and young adults or children together, or participate in programs targeted primarily to older adults.

Public Library Services in Support of Lifelong Learners

Acquisition and Organization of Materials

The public library is perhaps most widely recognized for collecting educational materials on a wide variety of subjects, written at a variety of levels, for a diverse clientele. For the most part, areas of interest to older adults fall broadly within interest areas of the general adult population and, in many cases, there is little change in the individual's interests and learning patterns. It may be that different specific topics within given areas are of primary concern, and it is the responsibility of the librarian to ensure that these areas are represented in the collection.

The importance of extending appropriately selected and organized collections to the older adult community is delineated in section 2 of "Guidelines for Library Service to Older Adults," (not available electronically) which states that librarians must "Promote information and resources on aging and its implications not only to older adults themselves but also to family members, professionals in the field of aging, and other persons interested in the aging process" (Library Services to an Aging Population Committee, 1987). While librarians will have a grounding in a variety of review and collection resources, they will need to include special focus tools such as Brazil's (1990) Building Library Collections on Aging to ensure adequate coverage.

Reference and Information Services

Reference librarians interpret questions, provide information to individual patrons and offer guidance in the use of the library and its resources. Reference librarians are familiar with the various literatures of a variety of disciplines and are astute at discovering links among disciplines to fully answer questions or to help guide an individual's independent learning activities. To provide excellence in service to older adult learners, they must constantly renew their knowledge of resources available and update and organize such aids as vertical files, bibliographies, and learning plans. Librarians who serve older adults scan popular journals such as Modern Maturity or Mature Outlookto keep current on topics and issues of interest to the older adult community. In addition, they collect, read, display, and organize for future reference brochures and catalogs from such organizations as Elderhostel, the National Council on Aging, Inc. or local community groups.

An integral part of reference and information services is referral to appropriate agencies and institutions, and many libraries have developed community information databases in which they list directory and purpose statements for local agencies and organizations.

Some public libraries also provide the services of a reader's advisor. Although frequently focused on fiction guidance, advisors may also work with individual patrons to guide a course of study in nonfiction areas. Reader's advisors are aware of the diverse interests within the older adult population, and recognize that while some readers want sensitive novels about growing older or prefer an older adult as protagonist, many older adults will be more interested in genre, style, setting, or level of characterization than on whether or not the book is about or for an older adult. To properly serve older adult readers, librarians need to be familiar with such special topic bibliographies as Of a Certain Age (Rubin, 1990 ) or Aging With Style and Savvy (Donavin, 1990).

Programming

Programming for all age groups is a popular service in many libraries. These programs cover a wide variety of topics and have different purposes and expectations, and audiences will vary. Lecture programs may provide information on daily living topics from low fat cooking to investment information to family relationships. Elderhostel programs offer formal education activities in areas from jazz to botany. Book discussions stimulate intellectual activity and social interaction; reminiscence programming for older adults allows them to validate and analyze their experiences and sometimes share them with another generation, either through direct interaction or through recording in print or on tape.

Programs are often the focus of interagency cooperation. For instance, the National Council on Aging, Inc. offered "Silver Editions," a library-based, scholar led humanities discussion program series. Funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the immensely successful programs brought together public libraries, university scholars, and local service providers (Liroff and Van Fleet, 1992).

For other programs, libraries draw from a wide spectrum of speakers representing community agencies, organizations, and businesses. Libraries may provide meeting room facilities for programs sponsored by these organizations, or may act as co-sponsors.

Outreach

Outreach involves planning services for individuals who may not be able to take advantage of in-library services or who have not traditionally done so. Typically, these services are provided to people who are institutionalized or homebound, and may take the form of deposit collections to the institution, delivery service of materials, programs, or books by mail. These services are specifically outlined in section 4 of the "Guidelines for Library Service to Older Adults," which requires librarians to "Provide library service appropriate to the special needs of older adults, including the minority who are geographically isolated, homebound, institutionalized, or disabled" (Library Services to an Aging Population Committee, 1987). It is an interesting quirk of library service that outreach services to older adults are visible, easily segmented, and widely reported, while basic, integrated service to the majority of older adult patrons who are fully functional and able to take advantage of the full spectrum of services is not well documented.

The term outreach is also sometimes used to include marketing and awareness activities. Under this umbrella, public librarians may take part in community sponsored interagency events, such as Senior Information Expositions or Community Health Fairs, in order to alert potential patrons and other service providers to the support available at the library.

Knowledge Necessary for Planning and Implementing Services

Core Knowledge of Library and Information Science

First, the librarian will have a thorough knowledge of the library and information science profession. The core knowledge areas include:

• intellectual freedom;
• evaluation, analysis, acquisition, retrieval and organization of information and
  materials, regardless of physical format;
• information seeking behaviors, use of information, learning patterns;
• interpersonal communications, interviewing patrons and interpreting needs of
  individuals, discourse analysis;
• methods, strategies, and resources for needs analysis;
• evaluation and analysis of materials and services;
• planning and management of library and information services.

The second tier involves relating the core to public library service. A copy of the document "Expectations for Entry Level Public Librarians," (Education of Public Librarians Committee, 1995) is attached (attachment not available electronically) and provides a more detailed picture of the knowledge necessary for public librarians. The basic knowledge areas are summarized here:

• public library mission, role, and clientele;
• public administration, political context of the library in the community, and public finance;
• community needs analysis, information needs and library use by diverse constituencies;
• outreach services, referral services, collaborative and interagency services and programs;
• public relations and marketing, including development of bibliographies and other materials;
• lifelong learning theory, child and young adult development and learning patterns, adult education theory and techniques; and
• rationale, planning, resources and models for child and young adult services and adult services, including popular literature and reader's advisory.

The most specialized area is in library services to older adults. In may cases, providing services to older adults is a matter of awareness and focus. The basic service, whether collection development, reference, reader's advisory, or program planning, will usually be part of the library's normal core service. If the librarian has not developed an understanding of the need to adapt and focus these services, however, older adult patrons may not receive the level of service to which they are entitled. 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. That is, they equate services to older adults with services to people who are ill or who have disabilities. This may result in a high level of service to the minority of older adult patrons who are ill, homebound or institutionalized while the needs of the majority of older library users are overlooked or neglected. The Library Services to an Aging Population Committee (Reference and Adult Services Division, American Library Association) has developed "Guidelines for Library Service to Older Adults" (Attachment B). To meet the standards outlined in the document, the librarian's specialized knowledge will include:

• demographics and diversity of the older adult population;
• information needs of older adults, families, friends, and caregivers;
• learning abilities and styles of older adults;
• options and resources for provision of library services; community context, including community agencies and others who provide services of interest to older adults; and
• techniques and strategies for adapting materials and services for older adults with disabilities.

Essentially, the library and information science professional must provide information services to a specialized group in a highly political environment. Ideally, the knowledge necessary to provide effective services can be gained through current structures for educating service professionals and disseminating information.

Problems And Knowledge Gaps

Problem: Structure and Incentives in Formal Education

The Master of Library and Information Science is the minimum credential for a professional librarian. The course of study for the degree is usually thirty-six hours in length. The programs are offered by Schools of Library and Information Science, or in departments of library and information science usually housed in schools of education, communications, or information studies.

There are significant barriers to beginning professionals obtaining in the thirty-six hour MLIS programthe three tiered level of specialization necessary for most effective service to older adults. The program is relatively short, incentive for specialization is minimal, and opportunities for interdisciplinary study are limited. Although some programs have attempted to expand the number of hours required, economic conditions mitigate against a longer program. Salaries are not high enough to justify a greater investment in the beginning degree. Nationally, pressures in higher education in general are moving colleges and universities to shorten or restrict the number of hours required for degrees.

Because there is little demand for entry level "older adult" specialists in libraries, students are reluctant to specialize to any significant degree. Information on older adults must be integrated into more general courses and may not receive the attention and frequent updating necessary. With university administrations evaluating programs on numeric measures (cost per student credit hour produced), there may be little incentive for MLIS programs to offer electives that may draw fewer students.

Additionally, there are few mechanisms to encourage the multidisciplinary approach from which older adults and the professionals who provide their educational resources might benefit. It is difficult for students attempting to pursue a well-rounded curriculum in library and information science to fit outside courses into their programs.

Recommendations: Structure and Incentives in Formal Education

• Support current fellowship mechanisms such as HEA Title IIB Library Education and Human Resource Development Program that support specialization in services to older adults, or supporting dual degrees. adults. Consider giving preference to proposals that offer an interdisciplinary curriculum, internships with a variety of community agencies that provide educational services to older
• Support the formation of interdepartmental institutes on aging that emphasize not only interdisciplinary research among faculty, but innovative and interdisciplinary curricula for students.

While librarians may recognize the need for knowledge about the older adult community, continuing education opportunities are often scattered and piecemeal.

Recommendations: Mechanisms for Continuing Education

• Support a sabbatical program similar to those offered to school teachers to public librarians.
• Support institutes such as those funded by the HEA Title IIB Library Education and Human Resource Development Program to support specialization in educational services to older adults. Give priority to proposals that bring together local practitioners from various professions as participants and speakers and scholars and researchers from different disciplines as speakers and facilitators.
• Create a speakers bureau or training module on lifelong learning and aging and make speakers and training materials available at low cost to local groups through state libraries, schools of library and information science, or state councils on aging, or through national and state professional organizations.

Literature about research and applications in the area of learning opportunities for older adults is not easily accessible. It tends to be scattered among disciplines, indexing terms and key words may vary, and the research literature of one discipline may be too technical for professionals of another. Some of the literature is available only in report form, proceedings, or other formats that are not readily available due to lack of indexing or production limitations. While older adults and those who work with them in their learning projects may find meaningful information in popular periodicals, professional journals, electronic resources, and in reports and brochures from a number of different organizations, finding information directly relevant to services for older learners may largely be a matter of serendipity.

Recommendations: Literature and Dissemination of Information

• Support research on effective strategies for information retrieval of topics with multidisciplinary aspects.
• Establish and support an information clearinghouse on aging. Scan literature in a variety of disciplines on a regular basis. Provide print and electronic newsletters or abstracting service at a modest cost to library and information centers. Use public libraries as depositories for print information and access points for electronic resources.
• Work with other government agencies to make information pertinent to older adult services available, both intellectually, bibliographically, and physically, to older adults and service providers.

In some communities, because service providers may lack awareness of existing research and models or the efforts of other organizations within the community, programs are continuously reinvented. At least two state libraries have developed manuals for providing services to older adults, although there exists an excellent LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) funded manual developed for the State Library of California (Rubin and McGovern, 1988). This duplication of effort absorbs time, effort, and resources.

Recommendations: Duplication of Effort

• Support programs of other governmental and quasi-governmental agencies, such as the National Council on Aging and the National Endowment for the Humanities that develop educational programs that are offered in selected public libraries nationwide, often in cooperation with other area agencies. Expand these programs beyond the selected sites by supporting development of program modules and materials that are widely available at low cost.
• Provide grants to local libraries to purchase educational materials geared to older adult learners. Items such as Bi-Folkal Kits, designed for reminiscence programming with older adults, can be adapted to serve audiences with very diverse skills, educational levels, and educational goals, but can be expensive if each senior center, nursing home, retirement community and library attempts to purchase them. Criteria for grants should include effectiveness of plans for using kits, cooperative programming, and circulation of kits to community agencies.

Frequently, although librarians intuitively feel the "rightness" of service to older learners, they lack empirical evidence of the tangible benefits of their services. They may thus have difficulty in justifying cost of services to funding bodies, establishing older adult services as a priority within the library, setting goals and evaluating services, or even explaining to older adults, family members, or caregivers the value of their participation.

Recommendations: Competition for Resources

• Synthesize statistics, research findings, evidence of impact in a factsheet for use by older adults, agency administrators, and other advocates of lifelong learning opportunities.
• Develop a national public awareness campaign on lifelong learning - for everyone.
• Ensure that public libraries and relevant community agencies are included as providers in all education legislation.
• Develop a research agenda as a first step. Disseminate not only the agenda and requests for proposals, but establish a mechanism (newsletter, abstract, bibliography) for informing service professionals of results. Scan research agendas of other agencies for overlap and possibilities for cooperative efforts or opportunities to compare and synthesize findings. Report research relevant to the OERI agenda whether or not the research has been supported or produced by the office.

Suggested Areas of Research

Research: Advocacy

Educational opportunities for older adults often receive lower priority than those for other learners. This is perhaps a symptom of the stereotypical thinking that considers older adults passive recipients of services who are biding time until death. Until the impact of the older adult population on society in general is made clear, providing services for older learners will continue to be viewed as a humanitarian act to be undertaken when there are "extra" resources available. Suggested topics for research are listed.

• Economic impact of older adults and services to older adults. The most common statistic we hear is that two of every five dollars spent by the federal government are spent on behalf of older adults, not a figure designed to underscore the contribution of older adults to the economy. Research is needed on the impact of older adult consumers, many of whom have more discretionary income than at any other time in their lives. A current trend appears to be attracting retirees to communities. What is the economic impact? What services help to attract older adults to an area? More emphasis should be placed on the productivity of older adults. What is the economic value of contributions of older adult workers, both paid and volunteer? Older adults are not always recipients of care. How many older adults act as caregivers to others - whether aged parents, friends or spouses, or grandchildren - and what is the value of these services?

• Physical impact of lifelong learning opportunities for older adults; secondary effects on families, caregivers, and service providers. Preliminary research indicates that leisure reading and continued learning may have a significant physical effect (Nell, 1988). These general health studies should be extended. More recently, studies suggest that intellectual activity may result in an actual physical regeneration of brain tissue. If these physical effects can be verified, what is the impact on older adults and their abilities, on the need for long term medical care, and on well-being and productivity of families and caregivers?

• Cognitive impact of lifelong learning opportunities for older adults; secondary effects on families, caregivers, and service providers.> Do learning activities enhance and extend cognitive abilities? What type of activities are most effective? Does enhanced ability extend to all types of reasoning and activity - everyday functioning and decision-making as well as performance on similar activities? What are the implications for independent living and productivity, and what is the impact on those associated with older adults?

• Social/psychological impact of lifelong learning opportunities for older adults; secondary effects on families, caregivers, and service providers. There is some evidence that participation in lifelong learning activities creates a sense of well-being and control. Extended studies should explore the psychological effects of a pattern of lifelong learning activity. Do those who engage in such activities seem more or less anxious, more or less integrated, more or less independent? Do they engage in more or fewer hobbies, social activities, work or volunteer activities? What is the impact on the people with whom they work and interact?

Education and training of service professionals will have a substantial impact on the quality of learning opportunities afforded to older adults. Dissemination of knowledge on a continuous basis will improve services as providers update skills and use existing research to establish a research/practice heuristic. The following areas should be addressed.

• Effectiveness of different models of professional education, both formal academic programs and continuing education programs. As indicated above, the quality of educational opportunities for older learners is dependent on the expertise and commitment of service professionals who are charged with the responsibility for planning and implementing programs. Evaluation of formal and continuing education programs will assist the Office in developing criteria for proposals for support and extend the benefit by providing planning information for professional educators.

• Models for organizing and disseminating mulit-disciplinary information to diverse groups, including older adults, families, caregivers, and an array of service providers. A great deal of valuable information exists but much of it is inaccessible to scholars, researchers, service professionals, and older adults who might benefit from it. The need for effective use of research money argues for developing, organizing, and disseminating existing information as a foundation for program development as well as a springboard for new research.

Planners must be provided results of research that can be applied in a practical manner to provide direct service. Such information is essential for goal setting and evaluation as well as for strengthening commitment to quality service. These research areas might include:

• Effects of various media on physical, cognitive, social, and psychological development in older adults. Do different media affect adult learners in different ways? Do they encourage adults to be more receptive or more expressive, more passive or more active? Are the media that seem to be most effect the ones that older learners prefer? Although there is some preliminary research on older adult learners and various media, much of it is older and application of the findings to the changing older adult population and the new media environment is questionable. What are the implications of these findings for producers and publishers and for librarians and other education providers?

• Level and duration of programs necessary to have an impact on development in older adults . Given that some research indicates positive and dramatic results from participation in learning activities, is there a minimal level and duration of services necessary to produce these effects? The number and frequency of meetings in a given program series appears to be based primarily on rule of thumb and convenience. Knowing what to expect can help older adults and planners set goals and plan effectively.

• Effectiveness of delivery mechanisms and strategies. There are a variety of formats for providing educational opportunities for adult learners. As noted, libraries offer a full range of services, from providing collections for self-planned, independent learning to referral to formal education agencies to program series. Program formats vary from one time presentations to long-running weekly series. Some involve a presentation, some are based on interactive discussion, and some revolve around activities. Programs may be self- contained or require outside preparation on the part of the learner. Are some of these formats more effective than others? Does the very act of choice among these have a positive impact? In many cases, the decision may be whether to take the program to residents of retirement complexes or nursing homes or to bring residents to the library. Some research in early childhood education indicates that children receive the greatest benefit by traveling from school to in-library programs. The change of venue somehow enhances and reinforces the learning experience. Might we see these effects with other age populations as well?

• Models for effective collaborative or single agency services to older adults. There is a vast amount of experience and expertise in developing collaborative programs, yet many local service providers are unaware of the activities of others. Consequently, they may duplicate efforts in developing programs, may not offer a full range of programs, and may give up a valuable argument for obtaining resources for programming. For instance, the Ascension Parish (Louisiana) Public Library provides an activity sheet, such as word match or crossword puzzle in large print, that is delivered by Meals on Wheels couriers. A simple and effective project, it was not introduced until instituted by a new librarian with previous experience at another library. A report that describes successful models and analyzes the conceptual and practical reasons for success would be invaluable.

• Relative advantages and disadvantages of intergenerational programming. Intergenerational programming is a topic of much debate in public libraries. For all of the arguments on the benefits of integrating different age groups and encouraging interaction, there are counterarguments (sometimes from patrons themselves) who dislike being around children or who do not enjoy discussion sessions with middle aged adults, or who simply prefer opportunities to be with others their own age. Some see the pairing of older adults and children as perpetuating the sterotyping of the aging as entering a second childhood. Are there distinct advantages of one approach over the other? Should they coexist, offering the widest scope of choice to accommodate individual choice?

• Use of older adult materials; impact on cost effectiveness of service provision. Providing materials focused on the needs of older adults or formats designed to accommodate older adults with some measure of disability may sometimes be perceived as expensive services in public libraries. An analysis of use of these materials, taking into account use by other age groups, will give truer cost/benefit picture and enhance services for all patrons. For instance, large print books may be used by people with visual impairments regardless of age. They may also be used by new readers. Some readers find large print books a faster read because they scan very easily. Some materials designed specifically for older adults can be used for other age groups as well, as a World War II reminiscence kit may be used to give secondary school students a better idea of the culture and issues of the time.

Conclusion

• The approach to research and education should be multidisciplinary, viewing the learner in a holistic manner and taking into account physical, psychological, sociological, emotional, economic, and political impacts and their interactions as well as educational goals. This should be reflected in interagency involvement in planning and providing community- based education for lifelong learners.

• The approach should stress continuity, recognizing that aging and development are processes that take place throughout the lifespan. Not only do those individuals classified as older adults continue to change and develop, the patterns of learning and changing have been established much earlier. Additionally, the move into the older adult population is not a radical new phase, but is fluid and continuous.

• The approach should underscore interrelatedness of all segments of the community. Perceptions of older adults may well affect not only older adults, their families and friends, and caregivers (the entire spectrum of those in the older adult community), but self-perception, worldview, and actions of children and other adults.

• The approach should be inclusive. There is great diversity within the older adult population, and programs and services should be planned with attention to all segments. Agencies that focus only on services for nursing home residents or older adults with disabilities will neglect the 95% of older adults who live independently. Research findings should be synthesized and applied and service models should be developed with flexibility and creativity.

• The approach should emphasize access to information and findings. A great deal of relevant information is not readily accessible, either directly to older adults or to service professionals. The approach should provide the dual focus of making available what is known and discovering new knowledge.

Brazil, M. J. (1990).

Building library collections on aging: a selection guide and core list. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Donavin, D. P. (1990).

Aging with style and savvy. Chicago: American Library Association.

Education of Public Librarians Committee, Public Library Association, American Library Association (1995).

Education for entry level public librarians. Draft document to be submitted to the Public Library Association Board for approval at annual conference, summer 1995.

Gould, S. B. (1978).

Diversity by design. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Langer, E. and Rodin, J. (1976).

The effect of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged: a field experiment in an institutional setting. Journal of personality and social psychology 34, no.2. Cited in Friedan, B. (1993). The Fountain of age. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Library Services to an Aging Population Committee, Reference and Adult Services Division, American Library Association (1987).

Guidelines for library service to older adults. RQ, 26, 444-447.

Liroff, S. R. and Van Fleet, C. (1992).

Silver Editions II: Humanities programming for older adults. RQ, 31, 473-476.

Nell, V. (1988).

Lost in a book: the psychology of reading for pleasure. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Penland, P. R. (1978).

Adult self-planned learning. Public Libraries, 17, 6-7.

Rubin, R. J. (1990).

Of a certain age: a guide to contemporary fiction featuring older adults. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.

Rubin, R. J. and McGovern, G. (1988).

Working with older adults: a handbook for libraries, 2nd. Sacramento, CA: California State Library.

Tough, A. (1979).

The adult's learning projects: a fresh approach to theory and practice in adult learning, 2nd ed. Austin, TX: Learning Concepts.

Turock, B. J. (1990).

Serving older adults (pp. 349-371). In K. M. Heim and D. P. Wallace (Eds.)(1990). Adult services: an enduring focus for public libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.

Van Fleet, C. (1990).

Lifelong learning theory and the provision of adult services (pp. 166-211). In K. M. Heim and D. P. Wallace (Eds.)(1990). Adult services: an enduring focus for public libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.

Wallace, D. P. (1990).

The character of adult services in the eighties: overview and analysis of the ASE questionnaire data (pp. 27-165). In K. M. Heim and D. P. Wallace (Eds.)(1990). Adult services: an enduring focus for public libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.

-###-

[ Return to PLLI Publications Page ]