Transforming Life After 50

Feel like you’re getting older? Well, you’re not alone. According to the California State Library, nearly two-thirds of all the people who have ever lived past the age of 65 are alive today. 
 
Here’s another interesting fact: Today, 11% of the world’s population is over the age of 60. By 2050, that figure will be 22%. What does this have to do with libraries? Plenty. Library customers are aging like the general population and, historically, older adults have been particularly heavy users of library services. And this new wave of baby boomers—people born between 1945 and 1960—is bringing to libraries demands for a variety of services and activities. This generation will live longer more active lives than any previous generation, many are highly health conscious, most will have complex financial and medical interests and needs, and all will be seeking productive lives in their retirement years.
 
In several areas served by the Riverside County, such as the Coachella Valley, Temecula, Canyon Lake, and the San Jacinto-Valle Vista area, already have high concentrations of retired and soon-to-be retired citizens.
 
In response to this changing and evolving demographic challenge, the California State Library along with the state libraries of Washington, Idaho and Oregon, have created the Transforming Life After 50 Fellowship (or “TLA50”). This initiative, which was launched in 2007, has provided a set of materials and programs to help libraries design better services for persons over the age of 50.  September 15 to 17, the fellowship will sponsor an Institute in Portland, Oregon, to be attended by a select group of library leaders from throughout the western United States, to explore the development of library services to persons over 50.
 
The Riverside County Library System was pleased to learn that Sharon Ballard (pictured above), the manager of the Thousand Palms Library, was one of only 93 Fellows from 11 states who will attend this important institute. While at the institute, Sharon and the other Fellows will explore how persons over 50 approach work, aging, financial issues, spirituality, retirement and civic engagement. We believe Sharon will bring back with her a ideas about a variety of innovative library practices to serve this special population.
 
We are proud of Sharon for being selected as a TLA50 Fellow and we look forward to reporting on what she found out in future entries in this blog.
 
You can read more about this initiative at http://transforminglifeafter50.org/.