Kleiman, A., & Polacek, K.
(2012). “Boomer-ize” Your Library Collection: The Basics. Reference and User
Services Quarterly, 52(2), 102-105.
The generation known as the Baby Boomers
began in 1946, one year after the end of World War II. In 2006, the first of
the Boomers crossed the age of sixty. As one of the largest groups of citizens this
will cause a huge spike in the senior population. Growing from thirty-five
million to an estimated seventy-eight million. With such a massive shift there
will be a greater need to fix Social Security and Medicare.
Yet
these will not be the only institutions that will be affected by the change.
Libraries are now preparing for the change as part of their community ages. Author,
Allan Kleinman, is working on “senior spaces” project and many libraries around
the country are also taking the population into account. With libraries being
more than just books, the institution is taking measure to craft collections
that will assist seniors in key areas. The RSUA Guidelines for Library and
Information Services for Older Adults suggests collection development in
health care and financial planning and independent living. A library’s
collection, services and programs must meet the needs and interests of the aging
population (Kleinman, 2012).
In response to this, libraries
can take into consideration updating their collection. Books about Social
Security, Medicare and Government aid can get outdated quickly. Where to
Retire by John Howell is in its seventh edition. Magazines may prove useful
as a subscription to AARP Magazine is only sixteen dollars a year. Road
Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostel, is a free quarterly newsletter that was
once a stable of public libraries. For those in building up a digital
collection AARP Magazine is also available in e-book form.
There are many other areas which can be taken into consideration and developed such as media, films and music. It's important to remember that the seniors who make up the community are also some of the biggest supporters of the library. They see it as a community center and place where they can gather more information from sources other than books. The role of a library is to serve and one of the greatest ways a library can define itself is how it serves those who are entering the twilight stage of their lives.
Interesting! I care for my 81 year old mother and in addition to managing everything underneath the sun on her behalf I seek out new resources and manage the ones she has. For example, her Medicare plan packet just arrived with changes for next year. Her formulary will also arrive with medication changes covered by Medicare. For the most part, this stuff weighs heavy on my life as I am sure it does thousands of other people. The library could provide senior care information seminars incorporating representatives from Medicare or Social Security. Seventy-eight million senior citizens could greatly benefit from the library focusing their attention own elderly needs.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: "on elderly needs"
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