Older Adults

Resources for assisting older adult patrons

About

Library Services to an Aging Population Committee of the Reference Services Section (RSS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA, a division of ALA) of the American Library Association.

Services to Older Adults - ALA's Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) provides resources to library and information workers who serve traditionally underrepresented groups. These groups include older adults, among others. The OLOS website gathers resources from OLOS programs, and other units of ALA.

Standards and Guidelines

Guidelines for Library Services with 60+ Audience: Best Practices. - Library Services to an Aging Population Committee, Reference Services Section, Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association, 2017.

Guidelines for Library and Information Services to Older Adults. Reference & User Services Quarterly, Volume 48, issue 2 (Winter 2008), p. 209-212.

Blogs, Toolkits, and other online resources

The Creative Aging Resource - A free online resource library from Lifetime Arts that gathers the latest research, case studies, tools and templates to help arts and community organizations design and deliver creative-aging programs for older adults.

Keys to Engaging Older Adults - Updated in 2019 and created in response to the concerns of librarians across the country who provide services for the growing numbers of older adults in their communities, this toolkit contains valuable advice on programming, accessibility concerns, finding funding, engagement and implementation, model programs, and more.

Library Services to an Aging Population: Senior Sites on the Web

Transforming Life After 50: A Resource for Libraries "The Transforming Life After 50 (TLA50) initiative, undertaken by the California State Library [beginning in 2007], was designed to help libraries better serve and engage midlife adults by positioning libraries as catalysts, resources, meeting places, and partners in creating opportunities for midlife adults to learn, teach, lead, build skills, re-career, and become civically-engaged." See video overview (YouTube: 6:40).

Print Resources

Moyer, Jessica E, and Kaite M. Stover. The Readers' Advisory Handbook. Chicago: American Library Association, 2010. (Chapter 19: "Readers' Advisory for Older Adults" by Alicia Ahlvers)

^{Last updated November 11, 2025}