信息檢索資料：Community critical australia public libraries serving seniors

Communitycritical:Australianpubliclibraries

servingseniors

DrAlanBundyAM

AreporttothenationbyFriendsofLibrariesAustralia(FOLA)

Melbourne2005

FriendsofLibrariesAustralia(FOLA)isanonprofitassociationestablishedin1994tofosterandsupportFriendsofLibraries(FOL)groupsthroughoutAustralia.FOLgroupsandFOLAarethevoiceofthe60%ofAustralianswhousetheirpubliclibraries,andthemanyotherpeoplewhosupportthemasunique‘cradletograve’communityagenciesfreelyavailabletoAustraliansofallages,backgroundsandcircumstances.

Consistentwiththisposition,in2004FOLAinitiatedafiveyearprogramofannualreportstothenationonissuescriticaltothedevelopmentofAustralia’spubliclibrariestomeettheneedsofallAustralians.ItsfirstreporttothenationAustralianBookStart:anationalissue,acompellingcaseisavailableat

.au.

Itfocusesontheimportanceforearlychildhoodliteracydevelopmentofparentsandcaregiversreadingaloudtotheirchildren0-5years,andsupportforthisprovidedthroughpubliclibraries.

ThissecondFOLAreporttothenation,Communitycritical:Australianpubliclibrariesservingseniors,waslaunchedatFOLA’sfifthbiennialconference,inAdelaideon14Oct2005.

ThereportisbeingcommunicatedtoAustralianlocalcouncils,theirstateandnationalassociations,theirpubliclibraries,appropriatefederalandstateministers,andassociationsforolderAustralians.Itisalsoavailableat

.au.

Recipientsofthereportareencouragedtocopyall,orpartsofit,forfurtherdisseminationanddiscussion.FOLAwelcomesfeedbackaboutitthroughitsauthorDrAlanBundy

alan.bundy@.au,

fax0882784000orPOBox622BlackwoodSA5051.

ThethirdFOLAreporttothenationSupportingstudents:theeducationalroleofAustralia’spubliclibrarieswillbeavailableinlate2006.

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Executivesummary

IncommonwithotherdevelopedcountriesAustraliahasanageingpopulation.Respondingtotheinformational,learning,qualityoflife,wellbeingandindependentlivingneedsofthatpopulationwillrequireincreasinginvestmentbyalllevelsofgovernmentandagencies.Thisincludeslocalgovernmentandparticularlypubliclibraries,localgovernment’smostheavilyusedandvaluedcommunityprovision.

A2005surveyofAustralianpubliclibrariesbyFriendsofLibrariesAustraliaconfirmsthattheyreceivehighusefromolderadults,andthatmanylibrariesnowprovidemoreforthemthantheirlongstandingprovisionoflargeprintandtalkingbooks.Afewofthoselibrariesareadequatelyfundedtoprovidecomprehensiveandinnovativeresponsestothevariedneedsofolderadults.Most,however,areinadequatelyfundedtoprovidesuchresponses.Knowledgeofwhattheycurrentlyprovide,andhavethepotentialtoprovideifproperlyfunded,isconsideredtobenotwellrecognisedbytheAustralian,state/territoryandlocalgovernments.

Publiclibrariesplayanimportantroleinthelivesofmanyolderadults,particularlythelonelyandisolated.Howevertheyoftenlacktheaccessibility,buildings,space,resources,professionalstaffingandfundingtoensurethatallolderadultsareabletotakefulladvantageofwhatamodernpubliclibrarycanprovideforthem.

Theirdeficienciesincludeservicesforpeoplewhoarehomebound,servicestoinstitutionalresidents,servicestoolderadultsinculturallyandlinguisticallydiversecommunities,physicalaccessibility,spaceandfacilitiesappropriateforolderadults,assistingolderadultstobridgethedigitaldivide,andmarketingofservices.Ofparticularconcernisthatmanylibrariesdonotstronglypromotetheirhomelibraryservices—animportantcontributortoindependentliving—becauseoffearofbeingunabletocopewiththedemand.Nordoanyofthememploybibliotherapiststoworkwithhealthprofessionalsinidentifyingandrecommendingappropriateliteraturetohelpolderadultsandotherscopewithemotionalissues,mentalillnessandlifechanges.

AtpresentaminorityofolderAustralianshaveaccesstothefullbenefitsofwhatapubliclibraryshould,andcancosteffectively,provideforthem.Themajority,typicallyinlowersocioeconomicurbanareas,andinregionalandruralAustralia,donothaveawarenessof,oraccessto,thosebenefits.Theyareunderserved.

AddressingthissubstantialinequityrequirestheinterestandleadershipoftheAustraliangovernmentandstate/territorygovernments,andstrategicplanningbylocalgovernmentandpubliclibraries.

FrommajorrecentVictorianresearch,publiclibrariesneedtobebetterfundedtomeettheirwideningrolesattheheartoftheircommunitiesandtheincreasingdemandonthemasuniquemultidimensional‘cradletograve’servicesavailabletoall.

ThisrequiresasharedresponsebyalllevelsofgovernmenttothepressingneedtoreconceptualisethefundingofAustralia’spubliclibrariestoalevelsignificantlygreaterthattheircurrentfundingofonly7cperAustralianperday.

Recommendations

Thefollowingrecommendationsarecomplementedbysuggestionsinthereport.

TheAustralianDepartmentofHealthandAgeing,inassociationwiththeDepartmentofCommunications,InformationTechnologyandtheArts,theDepartmentofFamilyandCommunityServices,theAustralianLocalGovernmentAssociation,andPublicLibrariesAustraliaconveneanationalforumonhowtoimprovethecapacityofAustralia’spubliclibrariestomeettheincreasingneedsofolderadults.

State/territorygovernmentsreviewtheirpoliciesandinformationalandpromotionalmaterialsforolderadultstoensurethattheyreflectthecurrent,andpotential,roleoftheirpubliclibraries.

Localgovernmentauthoritieswithpoliciesonsupportforolderadultsreviewthemtoensurethattheyreflectthecurrent,andpotential,contributionoftheirpubliclibraries.

Localgovernmentauthoritiesstilldevelopingpoliciesonsupportforolderadultsensurethattheyreflectthecurrent,andpotential,contributionoftheirpubliclibraries.

TheAustralianLibraryandInformationAssociationandPublicLibrariesAustraliajointlydevelopandpromulgateGuidelinesforlibraryandinformationservicesforolderAustralians.(p10)

Publiclibraryservicesevaluatetheirservicesforolderadultsusingthebestpracticechecklistappendedtothisreport.(pp15-16)

Publiclibraryservicesdevelopandpromoteawebaccessiblepolicyandpracticestatementonservicestoolderadults,includinghomelibraryservice,andwithlinkstootherwebsitesforolderadults.

State/territorycentralpubliclibraryagencies,inassociationwithstatepubliclibraryassociations,conductin2006seminarsforpubliclibrariesandagenciesforolderadultstopromoteunderstandingandpartnershipinidentifyingandmeetingthelibraryneedsofolderadults.

State/territorypubliclibraryagenciesauditfederalandstateseniorswebsites,seniorscardswebsites,andotherprintanddigitalinformationalresourcesforolderadults,forinclusionofinformationonpubliclibraryservices.

TheAustralianDepartmentofHealthandAgeingcommissionareviewofthepracticeofbibliotherapyinAustralia.(p13)

A

ustralia’s1560localpubliclibrarieshaveauniquemultidimensional‘cradletograve’userrangeandeducational,informational,cultural,recreational,technological,socialcapitalanddemocraticimpact.

TheyarethemostheavilyusedpublicbuildingsinAustraliaandthemostvaluedlocalandstategovernmentcommunityservice.Theycanneverbeoverused,arecurrentlyfundedatonly7￠perAustralianperday,areavailableto99%ofthepopulation,andareusedbyabout12millionAustralians,farmorethananyothercommunityprovision.

Consistentwithinternationaltrendstheyarebeingrecognisedasanoutstandingcommunityinvestment.Oneindicatorofthisisthatabout250neworredevelopedlibrariesarebeingbuiltbetween2000-2007.Howeverifpubliclibrariesaretoachievetheirfullpotentialtobuildeducationalandsocialcapital,strongercommunitiesandlifequality,manyneedbetterbuildings,openinghours,resources,services,programs,professionalandotherstaffing,websites,funding,andmarketing.

Thisrequiresagreaterawarenessbynational,state/territoryandlocalgovernmentdecisionmakersofhowmuchpeopleuseandvaluepubliclibrariesandoftheveryhighquantitativeandqualitativereturnoninvestmenttheyprovide.

Communitycritical:Australianpubliclibrariesservingseniorsaimstocontributetothatawareness.Italsoaimstoinformandencouragethosenumerouslocalcouncilsandtheirpubliclibraryservicesstillwithoutstrategiesandprioritiesfordevelopingservicesforolderadults,todevelopthemassoonaspossible.

Anageingpopulation

Likemostdevelopedcountries,Australia’spopulationisageing.Since1901theproportionofpeople65yearsandoverhastripled,andthefastestgrowinggroupisthoseaged75andover.By2051theformergroupisprojectedbytheAustralianBureauofStatisticstobe25%ofthepopulationandthenumberofpeopleover60willexceedthoseunder15forthefirsttime.Olderadultswillattractincreasingpoliticalandbureaucraticattention.Notonlyaretheyagrowingproportionofthepopulation,thepercentageofthemwithhighlevelsofeducationisrising,somethingofparticularimporttopubliclibraries.

Howevertheirimpactonlocalgovernmentandpubliclibrarieswillnotbeeven.Asthe2005AgeingawarenessandactionsurveyreportoftheAustralianLocalGovernmentAssociationstates

TherearewidevariationsintherateofpopulationageingacrossandwithinAustralia’sstatesandterritories.ItisprojectedthatolderAustralianswillcontinuetobeconcentratedinlocalgovernmentareasthatarelocatedalongtheeastcoastofAustralia,particularlyinQueensland.

By2019,thelocalgovernmentareaoftheoldestpopulationinAustraliaisexpectedtobeBribieIsland,Queensland.Around37%ofitsresidentsareexpectedtobeaged65yearsandover.Thisisanincreaseof9%fromcurrentlevels,andalmost20%higherthantheprojectednationalaverage.BilingainQueenslandwillmaintainitsplaceasthenation’ssecondoldestlocalgovernmentareawith35%ofresidentsinthisagecohortby2019.VictorHarborinSouthAustraliawillhave33%ofitspopulationaged65andabove,makingitthe3rdoldestlocalgovernmentarea.1

Whoisasenior?

Intermsofchronologicalage,thereareseveralanswerstothisquestion.TheAustraliangovernment’sseniorswebsite

.au

specifiesthatitisaresource‘forallAustraliansover50’.Moststateseniorscardentitlementsstartatage60.Othersourcesandagenciesuse65.

Chronologicalagealoneisthusnotagooddefinerofwhoisasenior.Fromolderworkersretiringintheir50s,totheelderlyintheir80sandincreasinglybeyond,thereisawiderangeofphysicalcapacity,experience,interestsandmentalalertnessrepresented.Nogeneraldefinitionofseniorbasedonthoseindividualaspectssufficeseither.Expectations,culturalbackgroundandeconomiclifecycleaddevenmorevariablesthatseparateseniorsintoseveralstagesofageing.Ashasbeenobserved,theonethingthatseniorshaveincommonisthattheyarealldifferent.InAustralia,asinseveralotherdevelopedcountries,theseniorspopulationalsocomprisesadiversityofracesandcultures.

Thefirstpremiseofplanningservicesforseniorsisthereforerecognitionofthisdiversity,andavoidinggerontologicalstereotyping.Thesecondpremise,however,istheneedforthefacetsoftheageingprocesstobeconsideredindevelopingservicesforthem.Aseminal1989paperbyHerrandBridglandServingourelderlyusers:thelibraryperspective2exploresthese,andotherissues,well.

Someseniorsdislikethetermandcategorisation.Othersdonotlikeelderlyorageing.‘Olderadults’isbecomingmorecommonintheresearchandliterature,butissometimesanawkwardusage.

Communitycriticalthereforeusesseniorsinclusively,togetherwith‘olderadults’.

Australianlocalgovernmentandseniors

TheAustralianLocalGovernmentAssociation(ALGA)representsAustralia’s673localcouncils.InApril2005itpublisheditsfirstAgeingawarenessandactionsurveyreport1asaninitiativeoftheAustralianlocalgovernmentpopulationageingactionplan2004-2008.

ThisplancomplementstheAustraliangovernment’sNationalstrategyforanageingAustralia,andmanifeststhepartnershipenteredintobytheALGAonbehalfoflocalgovernmentinNovember2003.ProjecttimelinesandimplementationresponsibilitiesarespecifiedinanannualworkprogramontheALGA’sPlanningforanageingcommunitywebsite

www.alga.asn.au/ageing.

TheALGAsurveyreceivedaresponsefrom35%ofAustralia’scouncils,with62%ofthoseresponsesbeingfromruralcouncils.Amongthesurvey’sfindingsarethat

thekeycouncilservicescurrentlyprovidedtoseniorsarelibraries(63.33%),homeandcommunitycare(46.67%)andvolunteeringservices(34%)

93%ofcouncilsbelievethatpopulationageingwillimpactonthem,28%severely

97%believetheymustplannowforthatimpact

only31.43%rateitasahighpriority

only25.24%havedevelopedastrategy

councilswillneedassistanceinmeetingneeds,mostimportantlyspecialisedstaffandsupportsystemsandnetworks

emerginginitiativesincludehealthandwellbeing,andcontinuingeducation.

Australianpubliclibrariesandseniors

InAustraliaandotherdevelopedcountries,publiclibrariesarerecognisingthechallengeandopportunityofageingpopulations,thespecialroletheycanplayinlifelonglearningandthequalityoflifeofseniorsandthosewithdisabilities,insupportingindependentlivingandfosteringthatmentalactivitywhichresearchindicatescanreducesenilityandAlzheimer’sdisease.3

Howeveroneofthefallaciesaboutseniorsisthatmostwillbecomefrailorill.Anyperiodofpoorhealthpriortodeathisalsodecreasing.AsHugmanpointsout

…itwillbelessthanonethirdofthepopulationagedover65yearswhohaveasufficientdegreeoffrailtyorill-healthsoastorequireeitherassistanceorsupportfromothersintheirdailylivesortheinterventionofprofessionalservices.4

Publiclibrariesarealreadyheavilyusedbyseniors.Theytendtobealargeanddedicatedcohortofusers,beyondtheirrepresentationinthelocalpopulation.Yetthereisevidencethatsomeseniors,forexamplefromculturallyandlinguisticallydiverse(CALD)communitieswhohavenotgrownupaccustomedtobeingabletoaccessfreepubliclibraries,arenottakingadvantageofwhattheyprovide.Sometimestheyarenotawarethatlibrariesarefreetouse,andwilloftencontainresourcesintheirfirstlanguages.Ontheotherhand,babyboomers(1946-1961),havingbeenmoreaccustomedtobeingabletoaccesspubliclibraries,areoftenvoraciousaboutinformation,learningandtechnology.Theyhavehighexpectationsoftheirlibraries,somethingwhichrequiresrecognitionbylocalandstategovernmentsintheirfundingofpubliclibraries.Publiclibrariesalso‘havetheattractionofbeinggenerallyfree,airconditionedandsecure,importantconsiderationsforseniorswithlimitedincomes’.5

Forseniors,theyare

providersofinformationinallareas,andonhealth,retirement,ageing,grandparenting,legalandgenealogicalissuesinparticular

facilitatorsoflifelonglearningandofstudentsoftheUniversityoftheThirdAge

providersofprintresources,largeprintbooks,talkingbooksandothermultimedia

providersofinternetaccessandinternettraining

providersofassistivetechnology

providerstothehomebound,retirementandagedcarecentresandtonursinghomes

initiatorsandsupportersofFriendsofLibraries,theirprogramsandactivities

providersofvolunteeringopportunities

placesofsocialcontactandconnection,the‘newvillagegreen’asdescribedbytheAustraliansocialresearcherHughMackay.

Localcouncilssometimesprovide,orcontributeto,communitybuseswhichmaytransportseniorstotheirlibraries.Mostalsoprovideatleastsomesupportthroughtheirlibrariesforthedeliveryofreadingandothermaterialstothehomeboundandinstitutionalised..

TherolesandvaluationofpubliclibrariesisreflectedwellinmajorresearchinVictoriawhichwaspublishedinfivepartsin2005asLibrariesbuildingcommunities.6Throughinterviewswith10,000people,thisconfirmsinternationalresearchabouttheveryhighqualitativecontributionofpubliclibrariestoindividuallivesandthecommunity.Italsofoundthatpubliclibrariesneedtobebetterfundedbylocalandstategovernmentstomeettheirwideningresponsibilitiesandveryhighusage

Publiclibrarieshavetakenonnewrolesovertheyearswithoutaproperreassessmentoftheappropriateresources,includingskills,neededtosupportthese.ItwaswidelythoughtbyallLibrariesbuildingcommunitiesparticipantsthatpubliclibraryfundingshouldbecompletelyreviewedinthelightoftheinformationsocietyandthedemandsthisisplacingonthem.7

TheFriendsofLibrariesAustraliasurvey

Atwopagesurveycontaining40questionswasmailedinJuly2005toallAustralianpubliclibraryservices,atotalof534individualserviceswith1560branches.Thesurveywasbasedona56questioninstrumentusedforasurveyofpubliclibraryservicestoseniorsinOntario,Canada.8Thequestionsfocusedonidentifyingtheextenttowhichlocalpubliclibrariesareabletobeusedreadilybyseniors,andtheirexperiencewhentheydoso.

Notsurveyedwerethefewspecialist‘public’libraryservicesinAustraliawhichprovidevaluableresourcesandsupportdirectlytoindividuals,includingolderadults,withvision,hearingorotherimpairment.

Responseswererequestedby15July2005.Nofollowupwasattemptedofthoselibraryservicesfailingtorespond.Thetotalresponseswere171orabout33%,ofwhich56%werefromnonmetropolitanregionalandrurallibraryservices.Bycomparisonthe2004FOLAsurveyreceiveda27%overallresponse.Althoughthesurveyrequiredlessthan15minutestocomplete,thisresponseratewasnotunexpectedasanumberofthe534individualpubliclibraryservicesinAustraliaaresmallruralsinglebranchserviceswithlimitedornoprofessionalstaffing,particularlyinQueenslandandWesternAustralia.

TheresponserateiscomparablewiththattotheAustralianLocalGovernmentAssociation’sAgeingawarenessandactionsurvey.Thiselicitedresponsesfromjust35%ofAustralia’slocalcouncils,ofwhich62%werefromruralcouncils.

Allofthequestionswereansweredbymostofthelibraryservices.Thefollowingsummarisestheresponsesaspercentages,complementedinsomecasesbyexamplesandcommentary.

Doesyourcouncil/councilsstrategicplanningspecifyseniorsasatargetgroup?

Yes58% No42%

Doesyourlibrary’sstrategicplanningspecifyseniorsasatargetgroup?

Yes60% No40%

CommentarySeverallibrariesincludeddocumentationontheirstrategy.TheAgedservicestrategyoftheYarraPlentyRegionalLibrary,Victoria(apartnershipbetweenthreecouncils)isaparticularlygoodexample

.au/

Yourdefinitionofseniors

Over5535% Over6034% Over6527%

Otherdefinitionsover50,over70,anyoneborn1930-1946,seniorscardholders

CommentarySeniorscardholdersinthedifferentstatesandterritoriesofAustraliaarenormallyeligibleforacardattheageof60andifnolongeremployedfulltime.Thisageisasuggestedcompromiseforlibraryplanningpurposes.

4,5Questions4and5askedlibrariestoidentifythepercentageofseniorsinthecommunity,andthepercentagewhowerelibrarymembers

CommentaryMostrespondedtoquestion4buttheresultsdependontheirdefinitionofsenior.Fewwereabletoanswerquestion5duetothemnotrecordingtheageoftheirmembers.Howeverinmostresponseswhichprovidedthetwopercentagesrequested,thepercentageofseniorlibrarymembersexceededthatoftheirrepresentationinthecommunity.Thisisconsistentwiththetwolargestcohortsofpubliclibraryusersusuallybeingchildren5-14andadultsover55.

Doyouhaveaseniorsadvisorygroupwhichmeetswithlibrarystaff?

Yes8% No92%

CommentarySeveralrespondentssaidthisideahadneverbeenconsideredbythem,butwouldnowbeconsidered

Haveyoueversurveyedseniorsabouttheirlibraryneeds?

Yes43% No57%

CommentaryAfewrespondentssaidtheyhaddonesoaspartofasurveyofallusers

Haveyoueverheldaseniorsfocusgroupmeetingtodiscusslibraryneeds?

Yes16% No84%

CommentaryThreelibrarieshaddonesoaspartofapublicconsultationonanewlibrarybuilding

Doyoutargetseniorsinmarketinglibraryprogramsandservices?

Yes82% No18%

Dohaveapolicystatementonservicestoseniors?

Yes2% No98%

CommentarySeveralrespondentsstatedthattheydidnothaveabroadpolicystatementbuthadonefortheirhomelibraryservice

Doyouhaveserviceobjectivesandstandardsforservicestoseniors?

Yes16% No84%

Doyouhaveaseniorsmembershipwithspecialprivileges?

Yes23% No77%

CommentaryExamplesofprivilegeswereVIPmembership,borrowinghistoryalerts,moreloans,nofines,noorlowerchargesforreservationsandinterlibraryloans,nooverduenotices.Someoftheseprivilegesonlyappliedtousersofthehomelibraryservice

Doyouhaveaprofessionalstaffmemberspecificallyresponsiblefordevelopingseniorsservices?

Yes26% No74%

CommentaryTitlesincludedAdult,CommunityandMulticulturalServicesLibrarian,AdultandSeniorServicesLibrarian,AccessandEquityLibrarian,AdultServicesLibrarian,AgedServicesLibrarian,CommunityServicesLibrarian,ServicestoSeniorsLibrarian,SpecialServicesLibrarian.Thelargenumberoflibrarieswithoutaspecialisedpositionofseniorsserviceslibrarianisconsistentwiththe

findingoftheALGAAgeingawarenessandactionsurveyoftheneedforlocalgovernmentasawholetoemploymorespecialisedstaff.Animportantleadershiproleforsuchalibrarypositionisdevelopmentofalllibrarystafftounderstandthepurposeandneedfordevelopingservicesforseniors,andtocombatbiasesandstereotyping.Noneofthesurveyresponsesindicatedthataseniorsservicespositionwasjointlyfundedwithanadjacentlibraryservice/s.Thiswouldbeworthconsideringbetweensmallerservices,andinregionalandruralareasinparticular

Doyouhaveaspecificbudgetallocationforseniorsservices?

Yes17% No83%

Doyouhaveaspecificbudgetallocationforseniorscollections?

Yes38% No62%

CommentaryAnumberofrespondentsspecifiedtheallocationwasstillonlyforlargeprintmaterials

Doyouhaveaspecificbudgetforseniorsprograms?

Yes17% No83%

Doesyourcollectiondevelopmentpolicyrefertoseniors?

Yes34% No66%

Doyouintentionallyincludechildren’sresourceswhichcounternegativestereotypesofageing?

Yes44% No56%

Isthereacommunitybuswhichenablesseniorstovisitthelibraryiftheywish

Yesatallbranches17% Yesatsomebranches25% No58%

CommentaryInthelightofthemanynegativeresponsestothisquestion,itissuggestedthatcouncilsreviewtransportationbarrierstomembersoftheircommunitiesaccessingtheirlibraries.Onecommendablerecentinitiativebyarurallibrary,whichispartofaregionallibrarysystem,isReadersonwheels,aprojectbetweentheGunnedahShireLibraryNSW,CommunityTransportandHomeandCommunityCare.Thisalternativetohomelibraryservicetransportsthefrailandthosewithdisabilities,ortheircarers,tothelibrarywheretheyselecttheirownmaterialsandsocializeovermorningtea

Isadequateparkingclosetothelibrary?

Yesatallbranches62% Yesatsomebranches18% No26%

Isyourentranceeasilyaccessible?

Yesatallbranches69% Yesatsomebranches17% No14%

Doyouhaveelectronicdoors?

Yesatallbranches49% Yesatsomebranches32% No19%

Doyouhavepublictoilets?

Yes84% No16%

CommentaryAnumberofrespondentsstatedthattoiletswerenotavailableatallbranches,abarriertolibraryusebysomeolderadults

Areyourlibraryspacesandshelfheightsreadilyaccessiblebysomeonewithlimitedmobility?

Yesatallbranches45% Yesatsomebranches25% No30%

Doyouhavehighqualitylighting?

Yesatallbranches57% Yesatsomebranches19% No24%

Doyouprovidetasklightingegstudytablelamps?

Yesatallbranches8% Yesatsomebranches13% No79%

Doyouprovideverylegiblesignageofhighcontrastcolouring?

Yesatallbranches53% Yesatsomebranches20% No27%

Doyouofferlibraryprogramsspecifictoseniors?

Yes69% No31%

CommentaryExamplesincludedSeniorshealth@yourlibraryseminars,Silversurfers,Computersavvyseniors,Computerpalsforseniors,shortfilmaboutseniors’useoflibraries(SouthernTablelandsLibraryNSW),talks,discussiongroups,newbooksessions,gardeninggroup,localhistoryprogram,genealogy,bookclubs,gamesgroup,financialliteracyseniors,seniorssectiononlibrarywebsite,digitalphotographysessions,oralhistorymorningswithtapesoflocalpeopletellingtheirstoriestoseniors.Severalrespondentsalsoreferredtotheimportanceoffriendlyandsensitivelibrarystaffabletointeractwitholderusersoftenlivingalone,andforwhomthelibraryanditsstaffareanimportantsocialcontact

Examplesofwaysinwhichyouhavetriedtomakethelibraryseniorsfriendly

CommentaryExamplesincludedbaskets,trolleys,ezywalkers/frames,wheelchairs,hearingloops,wideaisles,raisedlowershelves,assistivetechnology,magnifyingglasses,chairswithstrongarmsandeasytoarisefrom,stafftrainedinsensitivityissues,seniorscornerclosetolargeprintbooks,CCTVtextmagnifier,involvingseniorsinchildren’sprograms,supportingFriendsoftheLibrary,seniorsdisplayboardandseatingarea,volunteeringopportunities,freetea/coffee,freephonefortaxis,wheelchairliftinmobilelibrary

DoyouprovideassistivetechnologiesegZoomtext?

Yesatallbranches16% Yesatsomebranches19% No65%

CommentaryAssistive(sometimescalledadaptive)technologiesareinformationtechnologiesdesignedtoassistpeoplewithavisualorotherphysicalormentalimpairmenttouseprintandotherresources.Examplesgivenbyrespondentsincludedtouchscreens,pcswithlargerfonts,keyboardswithlargekeys,Kurzweil3000,Zoomtext,OCRscanning,Jaws,adjustabledesks,rats(largertrackballmouses),CCTV