Libraries and Aging 101: Educate, Engage and Empower Mature Adults
eLearning
Many communities are home to an aging population. Libraries in these communities need to be able to educate, empower and engage older adults.
In this four-week course, librarian and gerontologist Fatima Perkins shares data-driven strategies that will help you assess the needs of the older population in your community and create impactful programs and services.
Each week will target a different aspect of services for this population and provide an opportunity for discussion with the instructor and other students. Throughout the course, you will be encouraged to develop a "signature" program or service for a mature audience with at least one outcome measure.
Students will be assigned a program mentor upon request. This will be someone in the field (library or gerontology) that can assist you with developing a program/service for a mature audience.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand the relevance of national, state and local demographic changes and how these changes impact library service;
- Increase your ability to identify and address the needs of mature audiences; and
- Enhance your collaborative capacity to improve program development and effectiveness.
Benefits of Participating in eLearning from RUSA:
- Learn directly from subject matter experts and gain essential skills for your professional growth
- Your purchase helps fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals
- You help support RUSA, which is a leading advocate group for library resources and information services and collections
Who Should Attend
This course is for any library staff person interested in creating or enhancing impactful programs and services for the ever growing older population.
Instructor
Fatima Perkins is the Director of Community Outreach & Advocacy for the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging. She has engaged with the senior services network for more than 20 years, sharing her skills and talents with Greater Cleveland Volunteers, Alzheimer's Association, Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, United Way of Greater Cleveland and the Cuyahoga County Public Library. As a librarian, she developed more than 5,000 programs including health and wellness initiatives. Fatima is an ALA Spectrum Scholar and was a 2015 recipient of the Carnegie-Whitney Grant. Fatima is the current Chairperson for Library Services to an Aging Population, Committee of RUSA. She continues to be a tireless advocate for older adults, libraries and librarians.
How to Register
- Online
- By Email: download, complete and email form (PDF format) to registration@ala.org
- By Mail: download, complete and mail form (PDF Format) to American Library Association, ATTN: MACS/Online CE Registration, 225 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60601
Tech Requirements
ALA uses Moodle for all online educational courses. It is hosted at http://ecourses.ala.org Learn more about Moodle at www.moodle.org.
All content for this course will be provided by the instructor. No textbook required.
The Moodle login instructions will be sent the Friday before the start date. The course site will remain open one week after the end date for students to complete any assignments and submit the course evaluation survey.
Credits
Continuing Education Credit - A certificate of completion will be sent to each participant upon successful completion of a course.
Although this course is not CEU-certified, many licensing boards will accept it for credit. Requirements vary by state and school district regarding certification and continuing education credits. The decision to grant CEU credits remains entirely up to your state or school district. If you are in need of credits, check with your state and/or school district before enrolling to determine eligibility. Some states will review your certificate of completion and course description to determine eligibility.
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