信息检索资料：ACTIVE,ENGAGED,VALUED OLDER PEOPLE AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN NEW SOUTH WALES

Aplis19(3)September2006

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Aplis19(3)September2006

ACTIVE,ENGAGED,VALUED:OLDERPEOPLEANDPUBLICLIBRARIESINNEWSOUTHWALES

MyleeJosephYoungpeopleandolderpersonsconsultantPublicLibraryServicesStateLibraryofNewSouthWales

Librariesfaceanimminentagewaveasthebabyboomergenerationreachesretirementage.Retireesandolderpeoplehavetraditionallybeenanimportanttargetmarketforlibraries.Theimpactofagreatlyincreasedproportionoftheminlocalcommunitieswillbeanimportantconsiderationinlibraryplanning,facilitydesign,resourcing,marketingstrategies,thedevelopmentofstrategicpartnershipsandstaffing.Trends,currentresearch,stakeholdersandrecommendationstosupportstrategicplanningwithintheNSWpubliclibrarynetworkareidentified.HighlightsofaJune2006issuespaperavailablefromtheStateLibraryofNSWat

.au/pls/publications/pdf/active_engaged_valued.pdf

A

ctive,engaged,valued:olderpeopleandNSWpubliclibrariesisadeliberatelyambiguoustitle,becausebothpubliclibrariesandolderpeopleareactiveandengagedintheircommunities,andarevalued

bythem.

ItiswidelyacceptedthatAustraliafacesanagewaveasthebabyboomersmovethroughtheirlifecycle.Theimpactofagreatlyincreasedproportionofolderpeopleinlocalcommunitieswillbeanimportantconsiderationinlibraryplanning,facilitydesign,resourcing,marketingstrategies,thedevelopmentofstrategicpartnershipsandlibrarystaffing.

Theagewave

Retireesandolderpeoplehavealwaysbeenanimportanttargetmarketforpubliclibraries.Theagewaveisgoingtobefeltbythemaroundthenation,particularlybecause

Olderpeoplereadmoreandaremorefrequentvisitorstopubliclibraries,withpeopleover65visitinglibrariesfivetimesmoreayearthanyoungerpeople.1

Whatisolder?

Indevelopingstrategicplansandotherdocumentsitisimportanttobeawareofthespecificagegroupingsthatareinuseinotherareasofcommunitydevelopmentandgovernmentpolicy.TheagerangesidentifiedbytheNSWDepartmentofLocalGovernmentforcompulsorysocialandcommunityplansinclude

olderpeople—over55years

AboriginalandTorresStraitIslander —over45years

‘old’old—over85years

Inmanyotherresearchandpolicydocuments,thekeyagegroupsare65yearsandover,forexampleDrJackson’sworkfortheLocal

GovernmentandShiresAssociationwhichprovidesauniqueageingprofileforeachlocalgovernmentareainNSW.2

TheNSWpubliclibrarynetworkservingolderpeople

InNSWthereare363libraryservicepointsandpubliclibrarieshaveahighlevelofrecognitioninlocalcommunities.3Fortyeightpercentofpeoplearemembersofapubliclibrary.4AnysnapshotofthecurrentserviceprovisionforolderpeopleacrosstheNSWpubliclibrarynetworkmustbeginwithanacknowledgmentofthevariationinlibraryservicesacrossthestate.Librariesareakeycouncilserviceprovidedforlocalcommunitiesandtailoredtothelocalenvironmentandtheneedsofthecommunity.

Despitethevariationbetweenlocalgovernmentareasthereisagreatdealthatpubliclibrarieshaveincommon.AcrossNSW,theytypicallydeliverthefollowingservicesofparticularinteresttoolderclients

Recreationalreading–fiction,hobbiesandinterests

Information–includingcouncilinformation,healthandlegalinformationinplainEnglish

Communityinformation–directoriesanddatabaseshighlightingservicesavailableinthelocalcommunity,manyofthemavailableonline

Genealogy/familyhistoryresources

Localhistoryinformation

Homeboundlibraryservices–90libraryservicesinNSWprovidetargetedservicestohomeboundresidents5

Largeprintresources

Spokenwordbooks

Communitylanguagematerials

Newspapersandmagazines

Readerassistance–personalisedassistanceinlocatinginformationandresources

Sowithsuchanarrayofservicesandresourcesinplacewhataretheadditionalchallengesfacingpubliclibrariesduetotheimminentagewave?

LanguagesotherthanEnglish

TheFederationofEthnicCommunities'CouncilsofAustralia(Fecca)hasdevelopedapolicyfocusingontheissuesofageingastheyaffectmigrantsandpeoplefromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds(Cald).

TheolderpopulationfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgroundsisnotonlyincreasingmorequicklythantheAustralianbornintermsofsizebutitisalsoageingmorerapidlysuchthatby2026itisprojectedthatoneinfourpeopleaged80andoverwillbefromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.6

Particularissuestheyfaceinclude

difficultiesformembersofthecommunitywhodonotspeakEnglishfluently,inaccessingappropriateservicesandinformationegcommunityinformation,librarymembershipformsandinformation

spokenEnglishskillscandeteriorateaspeopleage

servicessuchashomelibrarydeliveries,largeprintandtalkingbooksmaynotbeavailableinappropriatelanguages

literacylevelsintheirmothertonguemayvary

Carers

In2003therewere2.6millioncarersintheAustraliancommunitywhoprovidedassistancetothosewhoneededhelpbecauseofdisabilityorage.Theagewaveislikelytogreatlyswelltheranksofthissilentarmyinourcommunity.Whenwethinkaboutthesepeople–whoareoftenisolatedathome,ageing(24%over65yrs)andmorelikelytohaveadisabilitythemselves–thefirstservicethatcomestomindishomelibraryservice.7

Thereareseveralotherservicesthatmaybenefitcarers

localcommunityinformationaboutsupportservices

healthinformationinplainEnglish

supportgroupsegfacilitatinggroupsviameetingvenues,publicity,listingincommunityinformationdirectories

homeboundlibraryservices

onlineaccesstolibraryservices

Grandparentsascarers

Asignificantnumberofolderpeopleareprimarycarersraisingtheirgrandchildren.Thisfamilysituationcanariseforreasonsincludingparentaldisability,death,imprisonment,sub-stanceabuseandchildneglect,abuseorabandonment.8

Grandparentsaretheguardiansinaround1%ofallfamilieswithchildrenaged0-17(22,500families).Thisrepresentsatotalof31,100children;intwothirdsofthesefamiliesthenaturalparent(s)arelivingelsewhere.9

Whilemanyservicesareofferedbypubliclibrariesforfamiliesitmaybeappropriatetoconsidermarketingexistingchildren'sservicestograndparentsinthecommunity.

Dementia

Perhapsthegreatestchallengecommunitieswillfaceistheimpactofdementia.

InAustralia,dementiaisthesecondlargestcauseofdisabilityburdenforallpeoplebutforolderpeoplecausesthehighestlevelsofsevereorprofounddisability.By2016itwillbethelargestdisabilityburden,surpassingdepressionandallotherchronicillness.10

Clearlytherewillbesomeimpactonlibraries,bothinservingclientsintheearlystagesofdementiaandinsupplyingtheinformationneedsoffamiliesandcarersaffectedbytheillness.ExamplesofappropriateresourcesmayincludeplainEnglishhealthinformation,musicrecordingsandreminiscencetherapykitswithmaterialfromlocalhistorycollections.

Greynomads

Peopleaged50yearsandoverwhotravelindependentlyforanextendedperiodoftimewithinAustralia–atleast3months–areknownasgreynomads.Someregionalareas,particularlythoseonpopularroutesfortravellingaroundAustralia,mayfindincreasingnumbersofgreynomadsvisitingtheirlibraries.11

Thelureoffreeinternetaccessmayappealastheyseektokeepintouchwithfamiliesandfriendsathome.Lendinglibrarymaterialsto

itinerantmembersmayalsorequiresubstantialrevisionoflendingpolicies.SomelibraryserviceshavepaperbackcollectionsspecificallysetupforthispurposeandgreynomadsmayalsoutilisetheirreciprocalborrowingrightswithinNewSouthWalesiftheyareNSWresidents.

Sometypicalservicesgreynomadsmayrequireinclude

touristinformation

communityinformation

reciprocalborrowing

digitalposterestanteforemail

internetaccess/wirelessaccess

itinerantlendingcollectionsegpaperbackcollections

Maintainingaplaceinthewiredworld

Theabilitytoaccesslibraryinformationandservicesonlinewillbeapriorityforbusyseniorswhoaretechnologicallyknowledgeable.Astudyconductedin2005byCharlesSturtUniversityandMonashUniversityincooperationwithUpperMurrayRegionalLibraryandPublicLibrariesAustraliaconsideredtheimpactoftheretirementofthebabyboomersonpubliclibraries.Thestudyindicatedthat

…amongstotherrolesforthepubliclibrary,babyboomerswouldlikeittobeavibrantsocialhub,toassistthemtomaintaintheirplaceinthewiredworld,andtoprovidethemwithcontinuingeducationaswellasarangeofculturallyrelatedactivities.12

Thesamestudystressedthatpubliclibrarieswillneedtoprovide

stateoftheartcomputeraccessespeciallybecause,astheyearspassafterretirement,homeequipmentwillbecomeobsolescent.EconomyratherthanspeedandcapacitywillbecomethebasisforchoosingahomeInternetserviceprovider.

Silversurferswillbelookingfor

accesstouptodatetechnologyastheirhomeequipmentwillrapidlybecomeobsoleteandtheyhavetopayfortechnologicalsupportforhomeequipment

freeaccesstotheinternet

internettutorialsandcomputerclubstodevelopandmaintaintheirskills

Thereisanumberofassistivetechnologiesthatmayalsobeprovidedforuseinthelibrary

voiceoutputegJawssoftware,speechsynthesisers

screenenlargementsoftwareegZoomtext

documentreadingsoftwareegPoetreader/Kurzweil

equipmenttoassistclientswithaphysicaldisabilityegmodifiedkeyboardsforstrokevictims

Volunteers

Insemiorfullretirement,olderpeoplemayhavethetime,energyandskillstoparticipateinvolunteeringandrecreationalpursuits.Othersmaychoosetocontinuetoworkfulltime.Howeveritisanticipatedthatbabyboomerswillseektocontributetotheircommunitiesthroughvolunteeringinsomeway.

ThestatusofvolunteersattheSydneyOlympicsin2000andtheMelbourneCommonwealthGamesin2006hasraisedthecollectiveawarenessofvolunteerismwhilstalsocreatinghighexpectationsthatvolunteerprogramswillbewellmanaged.

Volunteerrolesinalibraryserviceshouldbeclearlydefinedandcomplementarytotherolesofpaidstaff.13Volunteerscannotbeaskedtotakeonroleswhichrisktheirsafety,councilassets,usersafety,orroleswhichrepresentcounciltothecommunity.Theimportanceofdevelopingpolicies,positiondescriptionsandensuringthatallareasofriskmanagementareconsideredinlinewithcouncilpoliciesshouldbeaddressedtoensurevolunteeringatthelibraryisapositiveandmutuallybeneficialexperience.

Thereareseveralmajorresourcesfororganisationswishingtomaximisetheeffectivenessofvolunteering.Theyinclude

VolunteeringAustraliawhichprovidesanationalvolunteersskillscentreofferingtrainingtobuildtheknowledgeandskillsofmanagersofvolunteersandtobuildthecapacityofnotforprofitorganisationstoinvolvevolunteerseffectively

VolunteeringNSWwhichprovidestrainingaswellasotherresourcesfororganisations

throughitsSchoolofVolunteerManagement

.au

Partnerships

Theonlywayforlibrariestoadequatelymeetthedemandsoftheagewavewillbetodevelopstrategicpartnershipsatalocalgovernmentlevel,forexamplethrough

community development as social andculturalplanning

Mealsonwheelswhichhasover20,000clientsand35,000volunteersinNSW

agedservices

AtanationalleveltherearemanysignificantinterestgroupsincludingtheAustralianSeniorsComputerClubsAssociationwithover20,000members,CotaNationalSeniors,theUniversityoftheThirdAge.AnotherimportantorganisationisVisionAustralia,because

Itisestimatedtherearecurrentlyapproximately380,000peoplelivinginAustraliawithlegalblindnessorlowvision.By2030thisnumberisexpectedtodouble,asthebabyboomergenerationagescoupledwiththefactthatpeoplearelivinglonger.14

Marketing

Librariesneedtobewareofstereotypeswhenmarketingtoolderpeople.Theyarenotanhomogenousgroupandincludeactiveaged,frailaged,semiretiredandretiredpeople,aswellasthosestillworkingfulltime,smallbusinessownersandcarers.

Stereotypescaneasilycreepintocommunicationthroughtheimages,fontandstyleusedandofcoursethenameofaprogram.Therearesomeverycleverlymarketedprograms,forexampletheGrowingoldlivingdangerouslyGoldprograminJoondalup,WesternAustralia.

Effectivecommunication

Awellconsideredmarketingstrategywillalsoconsiderthefollowingaspectsofcommunicat-ingwithanolderaudience

styleguidesusingappropriatefontsizesandstyles

readability,includingfontcolour,contrastsandtheinternationallargeprintstandard

accessiblewebsitesmeetingtheinternationalwebcontentaccessibilityguidelines

Librarystaffing

Finallywecometoperhapsthemostcriticaleffectoftheagewaveonpubliclibraries–theageingworkforceoflibrariesthemselves.InOctober2005theindustrialrelationsadviseroftheAustralianLibraryandInformationAssociationPhilTeecereportedthat60percentofthelibraryworkforceis45yearsandolder.15

Creativeandflexiblesolutionstojobdesignandworkpracticesmaybeneededintheimmediatefuturetostemthebraindrainandensurethatlibrarieshavestaffwiththeskills,enthusiasmandexperiencetomeetthechallengesoftheagewave.

Publiclibrariesfacethechallengeofretainingbabyboomersintheworkforce.Someofthestrategiesneededtobeexploredmayinclude

attractiveparttimeoptions

jobsizingtosuitjobsharingandparttimework

smartsolutionstomanualhandlingissues

Theprofessionalsofacesaveryseriousrecruitmentshortfall.Atpresent14percentofthelibraryworkforceisunder35yearsofagecomparedto42percentintheAustralianworkforce.16

Publiclibrariesneedtogiveseriousattentionto

recruitmentofnewgraduates,includingmarketingtheprofessiontostudents

successionplanning,includingknowledgemanagementstrategiesforcriticalareassuchasreference,localstudies,seniormanagement

mentoringyoungerstaff

providingsupportforyoungmanagerssupervisingolderworkers

Conclusions

Olderpeoplehavealwaysbeenasubstantialusergroupforpubliclibraries.Theirabilitytoaccesslibraryservicesisaffectedbyaccesstotransport,familiaritywithtechnology,computerskillsandawarenessofavailableservices.TheNSWpubliclibrarynetworkoperateswithinthepolicyframeworksetdownbystateandlocalgovernment.LocalandstategovernmentsinNSWhaveadoptedpoliciesthatacknowledgeolderpeopleasagroupwithdistinctneeds.

Ratherthanwaitfortheinevitableagewavetoreachcommunities,publiclibrarieshavetheopportunitytopositionthemselvesasfocalpointsforolderpeople,providing

acommunitymeetingplace

informationforlifemattersandleisure

recreationalreading

internetaccessandskilldevelopment

stimulatingandappealingprograms

Librariesalsofulfilavitalroleinbuildingsocialcapitalincommunitiesbyprovidingmeaningfulvolunteerroles,opportunitiestoengageincommunityconsultationandbreakingdownsomeofthebarriersofsocialexclusion.

Asavitallinkenablingpeopletomaintaintheirplaceinthewiredworldandasasocialhub,thefutureholdsmanyopportunitiesforlocalgovernmentauthoritiestodeveloptheirpubliclibrariestomeettheneedsoftheagewaveintheircommunities.

References

Evans,HandKellyJAnalyticalreportforthenationalstrategyforanageingAustralia:timeuseinlaterlife:employment,familyleisure,adulteducation,charityandartsamongolderAustraliansMelbourne1999

Jackson,NPopulationageinginNewSouthWalesanditslocalgovernmentareas2004

.au/www/html/233-the-impact-

of-population-ageing-on-nsw-local-government.asp

StateLibraryofNSWPublicLibrar