Community conversations are a great way to create programs and services that align with the interests, needs, and concerns of older adults with disabilities. In new research, we look at how a group of libraries participating in the "Libraries Transforming Communities" (LTC) initiative used these conversations to learn about the programming-related preferences of people with disabilities aged 65 and above. Published in Public Library Quarterly, our study highlights a number of different ways community conversations can contribute to the creation of more age-friendly libraries. The libraries we studied used these conversations to:
Discover previously unknown barriers (inaccessible spaces within the library, ineffective communication practices, and other unmet needs);
Create new accessibility pathways (including ways to raise disability awareness or how to design spaces that address basic comfort needs);
Identify members of underserved communities (and figure out how to connect with these individuals)
Establish plans, processes, and priorities (working out the details of a program, figuring out how to implement plans, etc.)
Open the door to patron-driven approaches (creating structures for keeping staff informed of older adults' needs, preferences, and priorities)
Our research was based on reports that libraries submitted to the American Library Association about their work. To provide a sense of how community conversations played out in different institutional settings, we included a series of case studies of individual libraries. This blog shares additional stories that highlight some of the many ways community conversations helped libraries improve on their initial accessibility plans. As you'll see from these, community conversations can help libraries wherever they are in their accessibility journeys — from initial brainstorming all the way through implementation! Click on the different steps of the process to learn more about how community conversations empower libraries to better connect with older adult patrons.
For some libraries, community conversations helped libraries identify older adults' top concerns and priorities. Going into their project, staff at the Kutztown Community Library knew they wanted to become more accessible to older adults with disabilities. Physical access and the digital divide were among their top concerns. Staff also thought these patrons might benefit from the creation of a mobile delivery service (featuring tote bags stocked with large print books and audiobooks).
But staff wanted feedback from older adults with disabilities to drive decisions about how to make use of LTC funds. "Their input," the library noted, "will be our guide to reaching our goals."
To facilitate discovery of the needs and interests of older adults with disabilities, the library's community conversation took place during a regularly scheduled meeting of its "Better with Age" program (a monthly series focused on outreach, activities, and programs). Much to the library's surprise, the conversation revealed that "there was no interest in tote bags for delivery in senior living facilities," or in stocking the library with books, audio materials, or DVDs beyond what was already available. Instead, participants stressed "the difficulties of opening doors to enter buildings," along with the challenge of "trying to traverse uneven thresholds." Many also noted problems accessing the library's restrooms, and the need for grab bars. "A prime topic was the near impossibility of getting out of chairs without arms," the library shared. "The difficulties of retrieving books from bottom shelves were a repeated lament."
On account of this feedback, the library was able to more effectively align their work with disabled older adults' needs. To address those accessibility barriers that staff "became aware of during our discussion," the library decided to incorporate community feedback about basic structural needs into their work. In addition to installing an automatic door, they purchased "chairs with arms and additional book stacks."
The conversation also helped staff document other physical access barriers — including a circulation desk that "only accommodates those who are standing," a restroom that "does not provide knee clearance for wheelchair users," and signage positioned at heights that are "challenging for many visitors." As barriers like these are "only noticed when brought to our attention," the process of holding a community conversation was an eye-opening one for the library.
Community conversations are also a great way to make accessibility plans more actionable. For some LTC libraries, these helped staff get into the nitty-gritty of their plans, yielding ideas about how to implement them in a step-by-step fashion.
Such was true for the Fort Fairfield Public Library. To prepare for their conversation, staff created a list of needs and wants older adults with disabilities had previously identified through informal discussions. The list included programs to help "get our elderly community members back in" (including those focused on arts and crafts, knitting, crochet, and quilting) and various facility upgrades aimed at making the building more "warm and welcoming." Many had expressed interest in having a "cozy corner" where they could meet with friends, read, or enjoy tea and snacks.
Participants in the library's conversation were enthusiastic about all of these ideas. They also brainstormed a number of new possibilities (including programs focused on memory, music and dancing, exercise, and genealogy, events like vehicle tours and history talks, and being able to play Bingo and card games). Participants also shared their accessibility priorities — for example, being able to navigate the building without using stairs.
The library used this feedback to come up with a more detailed, fully fleshed out plan. Among other things, staff revised their ideas for the "cozy corner" to ensure that no stairs would have to be navigated to access this space. The new programs hosted in this corner have brought several older patrons back to the library. The library's new quilting group has been particularly popular; its members organized a craft fair, and staff report that monthly craft events have "greatly increased our programming."
Community conversations also helped libraries adjust their plans on the fly. That was certainly the case for the Neuschafer Community Library. Prior to applying for an LTC grant, staff had been "working on programming for our older patrons" — many of whom stopped coming to the library with the onset of the COVID pandemic. After launching a Memory Café program, updating their large print collection, and designing disability-specific kits, staff began looking for ways to "create a system to get materials to people's homes."
During their community conversation, however, older adults with disabilities identified an accessibility barrier staff had not previously considered: the fact that existing communication and outreach efforts "may not be reaching our target audience." The library uses a combination of virtual (website and social media) and physical (on-site signage, flyers, and the local newspaper) media to promote events and raise awareness of its services. But through dialogue, staff learned that many older residents lack adequate internet access (or do not have the skills to "source information online"), while others either no longer drive or leave their homes.
The discovery that the library was "not reaching our target demographic with our usual means of advertising" prompted a discussion of "different avenues" for disseminating information, which staff took note of and made part of their accessibility plan. To help those without internet access, the library decided to purchase and distribute mobile hotspot devices to community members. To expand the reach of their communication efforts, they decided to create a quarterly newsletter, which would be mailed directly to patrons' homes. These newsletters provide updates on new materials, upcoming programs, and "other library news relevant to our elderly patrons." This new outreach strategy was paired with a new delivery service for library materials, and an online learning platform offering homebound users a way to engage with arts and crafts programs.
These changes generated "a lot of positive feedback" within the community. A post-implementation survey demonstrated that there was "overwhelming support" for these upgrades, and the library reported that their efforts have "rekindled excitement" for their programs and services.
For some LTC libraries, the value of the community conversation had to do with how it helped them discover previously unknown accessibility needs. In many cases, learning about barriers they were previously unaware of helped libraries expand on their existing plans by adding new elements to them.
That's what happened during a community conversation hosted by the Park County Public Libraries. During a previous LTC grant, the library had focused its efforts on mobility disabilities. But in the process of becoming more physically accessible, staff discovered "other needs we must meet to make our libraries accessible for all" — especially those of older patrons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing or who are blind or have low vision.
These concerns became the focal point of the library's community conversation, which confirmed "the community's lack of accessibility for people with visual and hearing disabilities." Staff went into this event hoping to receive "guidance and preferences on [the] technology we end up getting" in connection with these disabilities. Participants shared "a ton of new ideas" about different services and products that would benefit those with hearing and vision-related disabilities. Beyond that, the discussion helped participants "really narrow their ideas to what was most important." As a result, staff came away from the event with a sense of how to most effectively expand on their earlier accessibility efforts.
Community conversations are also great for figuring out how to begin the implementation of an accessibility plan. Through dialogue with disabled older adults, many LTC libraries were able to take the first steps toward putting their plans into action.
This was exactly what happened during a community conversation hosted by the Dunkerton Public Library. Prior to this, staff were well aware of the difficulties many older adults with disabilities faced navigating the building — whether on account of "uncomfortable and unaccommodating furniture," insufficient lighting, or an "outdated projector." During the event, participants were "very open" in discussing physical access barriers they had confronted, and offered lots of suggestions on ways to reduce or remove these.
The conversation confirmed all of the library's initially planned accessibility upgrades — including an expansion of its large print collection, the addition of LED lighting and hanging light fixtures, the installation of a large screen smart TV, and the purchase of stackable seats (with cushions and arms) and flip-flop tables (with lockable wheels).
Community input also helped the library figure out how to identify the exact type of furniture to purchase. Through conversation, staff determined that the best way to provide "appropriate and comfortable" seating would be to test a sample chair that older patrons could provide feedback on over the course of several weeks. Receiving this feedback ensured that the library's final purchase (a set of 12 dining room chairs with added webbing, and a pair of bariatric chairs) addressed patrons' exact concerns and specifications. Though finding chairs that met patrons' "necessary criteria" (including details related to seat depth and height, comfort level, and accessories like front casters) was a time-consuming process, the end result was something that "indeed removed [the] barriers" patrons were experiencing.
In addition to working out implementation details, some LTC libraries saw their community conversations as an opportunity to actually start putting their plans into motion. An example of this can be seen in the experience of the Goose Creek District Library, which hosted a conversation on ways to better connect with older adults unable to leave their homes.
Going into their conversation, staff were keen on developing a service that would connect these adults to valuable resources — not only books and other media, but also vital information about local services relevant to their needs (e.g., health, transportation, etc.). The goal of this service is to enable face-to-face interactions with those unable to physically visit the library, so staff could "assess their needs and provide them with the specific information they may need."
The library's community conversation was well attended, with nearly half of those present being "potential home delivery recipients." The event inspired collective brainstorming about the kinds of information to include in home-based deliveries — including monthly activity calendars, a list of new book purchases, and flyers for upcoming events. Staff also received "good feedback on who to reach out to for this program," as many in attendance were the friends or relatives of individuals with mobility disabilities. Through discussion, the library hit upon a novel means of establishing and maintaining connections with their target audience: reusable bags that prominently display the library's contact information, so recipients can "easily contact us when they need to make requests or give feedback."
The library's "Home Connect" service has proven immensely beneficial. Since launching it, staff have realized that the service is valuable not only for those with long-term mobility disabilities, but also, for those experiencing temporary limitations — for example, on account of pregnancy or illness. Regardless of their age or the nature of their mobility difficulties, the service has helped all local residents take advantage of the library's offerings "even without stepping foot inside the physical building."
Let's Put it To Work
Community conversations can be empowering and rewarding experiences for everyone involved. Among the LTC libraries we studied, older adults who participated in these conversations appreciated feeling heard and having the opportunity to shape local decision-making processes. For their part, libraries came away from these conversations with a deeper understanding of disabled older adults' pressing needs and concerns — and a sense of how to effectively address them.
As this suggests, the community conversations format is something all libraries can make use of to discover a process for more effectively working with older adults. In support of that goal, our study included a review of best practices for hosting community conversations with members of this group. Many of these practices incorporate elements of the well-known World Cafe approach, which was first put forward in the 1990s and early 2000s. Some key principles include:
Help participants get to know each other (for example, by beginning with an informal meal / refreshments, or structuring the event so that people have time to mingle and talk casually with each other);
Leverage existing community resources (for example, by reaching out to partners and other trusted organizations for help with recruitment and/or facilitation);
Provide opportunities for both learning and action (for example, by alternating between presentations / educational sessions and collaborative brainstorming activities);
Incorporate a range of voices and perspectives (for example, by shifting group configurations periodically to ensure that everyone is exposed to a variety of perspectives and ideas);
Share findings with participants and the broader community (for example, by conducting debrief sessions, sharing recordings, or inviting more feedback through surveys); and
Establish a long-term commitment to gathering continued feedback (for example, by developing a strategy for future dialogues, or creating an older adult advisory panel).
By incorporating these principles into their community conversations, libraries can make vital contributions to the creation of age-friendly communities.
About this Article
This article is part of our ongoing evaluation of Libraries Transforming Communities, an ALA project that has received funding from numerous sources since its inception in 2014 — including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and a private funder. The authors are solely responsible for the content on this page. To learn more about our evaluation of this project's current iteration, see our LTC Access landing page.
Have something to say about your library's accessibility work? Please write to our ALA partners at programminglibrarian@ala.org to share your experiences and suggestions!