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Readers' Advisory and how this pertains to the older adult population seems to be a hot topic. Kara Kohn, Reference Librarian Plainfield Public Library District posed this question to Fiction_l members this month.

"We are working on setting up a library for a retirement community in our
village. Can anyone recommend some titles/authors that are popular with
the senior community?"

Librarians from across the country offered some specific suggestions but many felt their older reader's read pretty much what anyone of their younger reader's do. They suggested using the same tools you would use when trying to help any patron find a book. Appeal, favorite authors, mood, genre, best-sellers, etc.

In setting up our senior depot at The Beckish Senior Center in Columbia, CT we kept this in mind. We have stocked our cart with a variety of titles, some in large print, some not; mysteries, biographies, cookbooks; a variety of subjects in keeping with the philosophy that our older patrons read everything. We have included different formats too; books, magazines, videos, dvd's, audio books on cd as well as cassette. The cart usage started out slow but has been picking up as it becomes a permanent feature of the senior center. It has even brought a few new patrons through our library doors.

One librarian was aghast that we would think seniors only read cozy mysteries and non-violent books. I can second her sentiments as my mom, 81, reads all across the board and can enjoy a bloody thriller just like the rest of us. At times, though she is looking for something different and that is when I use my RA skills to hone in on what she is looking for this read.

To illustrate a bit further this past week I had 2 adults over 60 request our book buddy service. They asked us to send a few books as they could not get to the library. One said send anything except Jennifer Crusie and the other asked for light fiction. If I had left it at that I might not have sent either anything close to what they wanted. On further discussion, I was able to verify the reason the patron did not want Crusie, too much sex for her liking, but would really like some good contemporary women's fiction. We talked about authors she enjoyed, what she had read recently. I chose a few books and she seems to be happy with these. The other woman was going through a bout of chemo and was looking for something light, not too complicated of a plot, perhaps funny but not fluffy. She said she could not concentrate on an intricate plot but wanted something worth reading. We were able to agree on a few titles, two of which she came up with herself as we talked.

The Summer 2006 issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly contains an interesting article Older adults and readers' advisory by Alicia Ahlvers, Senior Services Librarian at Kansas City Public Library. Reading her article you can tell Ms. Ahlvers loves what she does and is dedicated to her job. She maintains that there are three distinct categories of older adults; the G.I. Generation, the Silent Generation, and the Baby Boomers, who are just now starting to retire. Ms. Ahlvers describes each group and provides lists of books that appealed to each in her library. She outlines a readers' advisory interview and offers some good points to keep in mind in helping the older adult find what they need. She includes some vendor resources as well as advice to overcoming physical barriers within the library. She suggests way to start an inexpensive books-by-mail service or delivery service perhaps with the help of your Friends' group. This article is definitely worth finding and reading.

Have you seen a recent article referring to older adult readers’ advisory or do you have thoughts to share regarding this topic? I’d be interested in hearing from you.