Lifelong Access Libraries Blog

The issue of brain health and older adults continues to be a hot topic at national conferences, in TV news magazines, on blogs and in print.  This latest article, “Mental Reserves Keep Brain Agile” in the New York Times focuses on the activities necessary to promote brain health even in the face of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.  The article features case studies of older adults whose autopsies revealed severe brain abnormalities, yet were active and mentally agile older adults in their day-to-day lives.  The key for these individuals was building mental reserves and mental pathways in order to limit the amount of damage that brain disease could effect. While providing solutions and suggestions for building the brain reserves necessary to maintain brain health (even mentioning the public library as a place for stimulating brain activity), the article also focuses on the physical activity necessary to bolster activities such as puzzles and new language acquisition.  The importance of physical activity to brain health is often absent from the typical brain health discussions.

 These issues of brain reserves, brain activity, and physical activity have been discussed in several Libraries for the Future Lifelong Access Libraries trainings.  Most recently, Dr. Paul Nussbaum presented on this topic at the Transforming Life after 50 Institute - a product of the partnership between the California State Library, the California Library Association, and Libraries for the Future.  The Institute was one element of the larger Transforming Life after 50 Initiative which was launched this summer.  Links to video clips and resources from the Institute will be available soon and posted on this blog –stay tuned.

Libraries for the Future (LFF) held its second annual Lifelong Access Libraries Leadership Institute on July 29 - August 31, 2007, in North Carolina. It was co-hosted by UNC’s School of Information and Library Science and the Institute on Aging.

The Institute’s purpose was to provide public librarians with comprehensive training in developing programming and services for Baby Boomers and older adults. Emphasis was placed on providing opportunities for active learning, creative exploration, and meaningful civic engagement for this age group.

The Institute included several compelling and thought-provoking sessions from experts in both the library and aging fields. For example, anthropologist and author Mary Catherine Bateson presented When Lifelong Learning becomes Active Wisdom, and the American Society of Aging’s Patrick Cullinane presented New Theories and Thoughts on Civic Engagement.

The 20 Institute participants (see photo below) were selected through a competitive application process earlier this year. They came from 14 different states, representing public libraries providing services to communities as small as Reading, Massachusetts, and as large as San Francisco.

I truly enjoyed the array of topics presented during the Institute, the thought-provoking presentation by the speakers, and the companionship of bright and friendly colleagues from across the country, said Institute participant Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer from New Jersey.