This document summarizes a webinar about teaching digital skills to older adults in public libraries. It discusses how libraries can use free and paid resources like TechBoomers.com to provide digital literacy tutorials for older community members. It also addresses how to effectively reach older adults, consider their needs and abilities when planning programming, and evaluate what services are most useful. The webinar provided tips for working with older learners and examples of one-on-one and small class instruction models.

1. Digital Skills for Older Adults:
Teaching Technology in Public Libraries
May 18, 2016

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TechSoup’s Story
We are a global network of 62 partner nonprofits that provide the best
technology resources to over a half-million organizations in 127 countries.
We connect organizations and people with the resources, support, and
technology they need to change the world.

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TechSoup Product Donation Programs

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Steve Black
TechBoomers.com
Presenters
Twitter: Ginny Mies
Chat: Becky Wiegand
Kathy Faubion
St. Mary’s County Library
Leonardtown, Maryland
Crystal Schimpf
TechSoup for Libraries
San Francisco, California

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Agenda
• Teaching Digital Literacy with TechBoomers.com
• Free tutorials from TechBoomers.com
• How to leverage TechBoomers.com in training
• Older Adults & Technology
• How to reach older adults
• Meeting technology needs
• Evaluating services
• Q&A

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Resources for Teaching Digital Skills
Free Paid
TechBoomers.com Lynda.com
DigitalLearn.org Atomic Training
GCFLearnFree.org

37. Older Adults,
Technology,
and the Library
Kathy Faubion
St. Mary’s Library
kfaubion@stmalib.org
https://www.stmalib.org/

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Older Adults and the Library
• The fastest growing group of
library users
• An underserved population
• Assumptions, biases, and
prejudices

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How to reach older adults
• What methods does your library use to reach older adults in the
community?
• Does your library include older adults in the planning and
programming process?
• Does your library currently outreach into the community?

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How to reach older adults
• What methods does your library use to reach older adults in the
community?
• Does your library include older adults in the planning and
programming process?
• Does your library currently outreach into the community?

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Denver Public Library
Technology Classes
Lesson Plans include:
• lesson objectives
• lesson prep work
• lesson prerequisites
• lesson outline
• exercises
• links
• where to go for more help

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Figure 2-1 (p.18):
Is Your Library Senior-Friendly?

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Mousercise

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Tips for working with older adults
• Physical Spaces- are they ADA compliant?
• Consider the best times of day and travel considerations.
• Think in terms of audio, visual, and dexterity issues
• Teach what is relevant, and let them learn by doing
• Be patient!

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Options to meet technology needs: One-on-one

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Small Class Setting

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A series, or a certificate?

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How do you Evaluate what’s working?
• Be ready to Fail!
• Do you do class surveys?
• Has your library done a technology survey?
• Do you collect and evaluate your data, keep statistics?
• Does your library have a digital inclusion plan?
• Do you maintain your partnerships and evaluate how they are
working?

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Class Survey

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Making a difference, one person at a time
• Are you meeting your community’s needs?
• Serving older adults is all about the quality,
not the quantity
• A look at the future…

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References
Asla, T., & Williamson, K. (2004). Older adults? Information needs and behavior. In Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Third
Edition. (pp. 3938-3943).New York: Taylor and Francis. doi: 10.1081/E-ELIS3-120043246
Bennett-Kapusniak, R. (2013). Older adults and the public library: The impact of the boomer generation. Public Library Quarterly, 32(3), 204-222.
doi:10.1080/01616846.2013. 818814
Cavanagh, M. F., & Robbins, W. (2012). Baby boomers, their elders and the public library. Library Review, 61(8), 622-640. doi:
10.1108/00242531211292114
Cody, M. J., Dunn, D., Hoppin, S., & Wendt, P. (1999). Silver surfers: Training and evaluating internet use among older adult learners.
Communication Education, 48(4), 269. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.libaccess. sjlibrary.org/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=2381033&site=ehost-live
Decker, E.N. (2010). Baby boomers and the United States public library system. Library Hi Tech, 28(4), 605-616. doi:
10.1108/07378831011096268
https://www.denverlibrary.org/ctc-classes
https://www.digitallearn.org/
Gatto, S. L., & Tak, S. H. (2008). Computer, internet, and E-mail use among older adults: Benefits and barriers. Educational Gerontology, 34(9),
800-811. doi: 10.1080/ 03601270802243697
Internet Grandma. [meme]. Accessed on April 14, 2016 from http://www.xenon-webdesign.co.uk/dev/no-deleted-internet/
Mates, B. (2003). 5-Star Programming and Services for Your 55+ Library Customers. Chicago: ALA Programming Guides. [Cover Art retrieved
from
http://www.amazon.com/5-Star-Programming-Services-LibraryCustomers/dp/0838908438/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=
1462643284&sr=1-2&keywords= ALA+Programming+Guides on May 7, 2016]
http://www.pclibrary.org/mousing/mousercise.htm
www.Techboomers.com/
Singer, D., & Agosto, D. (2013). Reaching senior patrons in the digitized library. Public Libraries, 52(6), 38-42. Retrieved from http://
search.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=93457994&site=ehost-live
Slegers, K., van Boxtel, M.P.J., & Jolles, J. (2007). The effects of computer training and internet usage on the use of everyday technology by older
adults: A randomized controlled study. Educational Gerontology, 33(2), 91-110. doi:10.1080/03601270600846733

54. Please type your questions in the chat window. Send twitter questions to @techsoup4libs
Questions?
Steve Black
TechBoomers
steve@techboomers.com
Kathy Faubion
St Mary’s Library
kfaubion@stmalib.org

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