Thursday, December 25, 2008

What are some suggestions for putting together programming for seniors?

Programming for older adults can be great fun for both the audience and the presenter as long as we think about their information needs and are aware of a few key differences in communication.  Outreach to senior groups can be easily facilitated in locations like assisted living homes, adult day care centers, senior centers or in the library.  We simply need to prepare properly for this audience. 

Sure, there are a myriad of topics that can be presented.  We can arrange to bring in experts from the community to speak about health issues, Medicare, elder law, consumer protection and fraud, life and death issues.  I could go on and on.  Truth is these are great.  They educate the audience and, most important, get seniors into the library.  Your job is to supplement the information that the speaker imparts and provide ideas on library resources related to the topic.  Look at the program schedule for almost any public library system and you’ll see presentations on these topics.  If this is your charge and you need ideas on what’s topical with seniors today you need look no further than AARP for suggestions.

But seniors want to be entertained too.  Preparing a program for them need not just be something oriented toward ‘old’ people.  Isn’t gaming for seniors among the hot topics in library programming today?  Some of the most useful programs in the entertainment category are those that challenge the audience, make them think and are interactive.  It’s no scoop that the grey generation has had more life experiences and wants to share what they have learned.  Give them that opportunity and you will have a winning program on your hands.  It is a misconception that older adults equal retired persons equal people who lack energy and, therefore need to be programmed with kid gloves! 

Allow participants to talk about what they were doing or what life was like in the past. Try programs about the way things used to be, such as: 
  • Showing photos and images.
  • Having a discussion centered on an old telephone book (its amazing how much you can do with it!)
  • Talking about old television shows using a TV Guide from the past
  • Using the front page of newspapers that shows a historic event to start a discussion.
Here are a few suggestions:
  • Seniors like to share their expertise.  Allow them to interrupt so that they can speak - plan on it.
  • Be patient.  It may take a little longer for a senior to make their point.
  • Use a microphone.  A portable mic is great to that you can pass it those who have something to share.
  • Be sure the program is held in a quiet room away from noise.  Seniors may not hear as well, so reducing the amount of outside chatter and environmental noise helps.
  • Make sure anything visual is projected large enough for all to see.
  • If you plan to introduce books be sure they are available in large print or audio formats.
  • Allow a few extra minutes for the program.  It may take seniors a bit longer to enter and exit a room.
  • Do not use lengthy video presentations.  Senior groups tend to get bored very quickly.  They appreciate that you have prepared something special for them.
  • Interact with someone who participates.  Follow up their comment with a question-show you’re interested and that their thoughts matter.
  • Plan on a flexible room setup and leave plenty of space for those with mobility issues. Persons who use wheelchairs, walkers and canes should not be relegated to the back of the room or a designated area.
  • Expect movement from the group.  If someone has to get up to leave the room, take it in stride.
Just keep the simple differences in mind and you will find senior programming is among the most rewarding activities we can plan.  If we truly want libraries to become community centers we should include seniors in our plans - they make up one of our most reachable constituencies.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

How do you help someone get started in researching their family history in Maryland?

Finding information on a person’s family history, or genealogy, can be easy if they’re related to a prominent family whose history goes way back- but that frequently is not the case.  When a customer approaches and asks if you have files on family names, indexes of death notices or obituaries, or census records that should send a clear message to you that they are looking for genealogical information.

You need to determine what the customer needs as they may already have tons of information already and are looking for a specific fact that has eluded them or, they may be just beginning and do not even know where to start.  Likely they are somewhere in-between.

Begin by asking these three questions:
  • Where have you already looked?  This is important not only so that you do not duplicate where they have already searched, but it will give you some idea of how far along they are with their work.

  • How far back have you traced your family?  That is, chronologically.  If someone has traced their ancestors back to the Revolutionary War you don’t want to give them something that only goes back to World War II.

  • What part of the state does the family come from?  Really what you are getting at here is what County or area did they live?  Many resources for family history in Maryland are specific to a town or county.  Some counties have tons written about their families (e.g., Frederick), other very little (Cecil).  Frequently local sources will not only have information on the family they are seeking, but can also identify other relatives living nearby.
Need to provide some good Web sites?  The genealogy subject guide on the homepage of the Maryland Department at SLRC can get you started.  There you will find a list of basic genealogy sites like Cyndi’s List and the GenWeb Project that are useful in finding family history information for Marylanders and are great jumping off points.  The Maryland Department’s genealogy page also has a link to a useful how-to guide called Starting Your Own Genealogical Research that describes the resources and access to material in the State Library Resource Center.

If you want to direct a customer to a database, remember everyone with a valid Maryland library card can access HeritageQuest through Sailor.  You may also subscribe to Ancestry Library Edition in your library.  These two databases form a foundation for relevant genealogy information like census records, city directories and passenger arrivals.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

A student comes up to the desk and says that he needs two scholarly articles to write a paper for school. How do I help him?

You can see whether or not an article is scholarly by checking for footnotes or looking at the end of the article to see if there’s a list of references.  Another clue is to see if the author is affiliated with an institution such as a university.  Many scholarly journals have as part of their title the words journal, review, or research.  Check to see if the publication comes from a professional organization.  And if the article has either technical terms or vocabulary, that could mean it’s a scholarly article.

Many databases will make the task of searching for scholarly articles easier – they do the work for you.  When you enter your search terms, look at the display to see if there’s a place to check off for scholarly journals.  Sometimes this is called peer-reviewed or maybe refereed.  When you get your hits, the articles will be selected for scholarly articles only and you are on your way.

For more information and tips for finding scholarly articles, check out the Finding Scholarly Articles How-to Guide by the Periodicals Department.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

A customer wants information on starting a small business. What is the best starting point to answer the question?

Though simply stated, this is a pretty broad question, and in order to find out where to start, you need a little more information. Otherwise, you may take her down the completely wrong path.
  • Does the customer have an idea what kind of business to start, or is she still trying to figure that out?
  • Is the customer already in the process but needs help writing a business plan?
  • Does the customer need to know what kinds of licenses or permits are needed?
Looks like it’s time for a good old-fashioned reference interview with some open-ended questions. “Can you tell me a little more?” “Where in the process are you?”

If your customer is starting from square one and doesn’t even know what kind of business to start, there are a number of good books to recommend, such as Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash, Small Business Start-Up Kit, or Small Business Kit for Dummies. Your library probably has books like these if not the actual titles.

Also, the Small Business Administration Web site is full of information for people in every step of the small business process, from beginners to seasoned professionals.

Writing a business plan can be a pretty daunting task too. There are many general books on writing business plans, which your library may have, but an individual working on a plan will need specific information on industry trends, competition, and customer demographics that relate to her kind of business.
  • Hoover’s Industry Overview offers free information on dozens of industry sectors.
  • The Census Bureau has demographic information on people from the American Factfinder page and competition information from its Economic Census page.
The place to find license information is the Maryland Business License Information System, where you can type in the kind of business the customer wants to open and receive links to the appropriate state agencies that oversee possible permits they may need.

To find other useful information look at the Pratt Library’s Small Business Corner.