1. Re-Imaging Academic Reference Services for Older Non-Traditional Patrons Maria Hawkins and Edith Sicken University Libraries, Kent State University Kent, Ohio IOLUG Spring Program Library Road Maps: Patrons in the Driver’s Seat Indiana Online Users Group

2.  Mostly focused on public library services and programming  Many reference resources are out of date Current State of Older Adult Reference Services

3.  We’ve witnessed their challenges firsthand  Older adults are returning to academia  Learning environments and resources have changed  It’s a basic principle of library service Why Consider Services for Older Adults?

4. Current Statistics

5. Students 65+: data includes full-time, part-time, undergraduate and graduate students 2008, 2010, and 2012 were option years for data submission 7,735 Institutions Included National Center for Education Statistics 2014

6. Students 65+: data includes full-time, part-time, undergraduate and graduate students 2008, 2010, and 2012 were option years for data submission 385 Institutions included National Center for Education Statistics 2014

7. Students 65+: data assumed to exclude students participating in audited courses and/or non-credit courses Kent State University Office for RPIE 2014

8. Challenges

9.  Technological Factors:  Basic technology (email, file management, software and programs, etc.)  Educational (course management platforms, online resources, etc.)  Health Factors:  Auditory Factors  Visual Factors  Mobility Factors  Cognition For Older Adults

10.  Time:  Individual attention and instruction  Amount of staff  Understanding:  Customer service  Training specifically for needs of older non-traditional students  Patience For Librarians

11. Solutions

12.  Instructional Materials:  LibGuides  Handouts  Point of Need Assistance:  Catalogs and databases  Library Computers – desktop applications  User-Friendly Sites & Software Independently Used Resources

13.  Signage & Navigational Information  Gather Information from Users  Surveys / focus groups  Instruction  Walk-in seminars  One-on-One meetings Librarian-Led Resources

14.  Demographics of community  Budget allocation  Assistive technology  Trained library staff ALA Guidelines Relevant to Academic Reference

15.  Consider universal design  Auditory: volume of speech, listening devices, quiet spaces  Visual: public access computers with special software, handheld magnifiers/large print material, lighting  Mobility: monitor aisles, provide motorized scooter Ideas to Improve Service for All Older Adults

16.  Print out relevant LibGuides  Make desktop icons more visible  Keep reference area clear  Provide instructions Quick Ideas to Implement

17. Questions?

18.  “Guidelines for library and information services to Older Adults”, American Library Association, September 29, 2008. http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/libraryservices (Accessed May 15, 2014)  Institution of Education Sciences. (2013). National Center for Education Statistics: IPEDS Data Center. Final Release Data 2008- 2012. Ohio: Age, Level of Students. http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter  Institution of Education Sciences. (2013). National Center for Education Statistics: IPEDS Data Center. Final Release Data 2008- 2012. United States: Age, Level of Students. http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter  "Keys to engaging older adults @ your library", American Library Association, July 11, 2011. http://www.ala.org/offices/olos/toolkits/olderadults (Accessed May 15, 2014)  Mates, B. T. (2003). 5-star programming and services for your 55+ library customers. Chicago: American Library Association.  Pew Research Center, April 2014, Older adults and technology use Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/  Prasad, P. (2009). Reference services to senior groups in the San Antonio public library. The Reference Librarian, 50(1), 99-108.  Rothstein, P. M., & Schull, D. D. (2010). Boomers and beyond reconsidering the role of libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.  Sarkodie-Mensah, K. (2000). Reference services for the adult learner: Challenging issues for the traditional and technological era. New York: Haworth Information Press.  Vincent, Grayson K. and Velkoff, Victoria A. (2010), THE NEXT FOUR DECADES, The Older Population in the United States: 2010 to 2050, Current Population Reports, P25-1138, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC. References