SERVICE TO OLDER ADULT USERS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: A STUDY OF LIBRARIAN ATTITUDES

The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes of academic librarians toward older adult users of the library. The survey was designed to gather information on attitudes toward older adults generally, and toward academic library services for them.;Librarians might expect to encounter people enrolled in Elderhostel, an exemplary program for older adult offered on many college campuses. For this reason, the program was used as a reference point in this study. It is noted for its one week residency, liberal arts course offerings at the college level, low fees and similar format at every campus.;Little literature is available concerning attitudes of librarians toward older adults. Some research dealt with public librarians' attitudes toward older adults; none was found that dealt with academic librarians' attitudes toward that age group.;A selected sample of professional librarians at colleges and universities sponsoring Elderhostel for at least two of the three years from 1977 to 1979 were surveyed. Respondents' names were verified through the American Library Directory. The questionnaire was used to gather demographic data on respondents' personal backgrounds and the environment of their work location. A Likert-type scale was used to measure attitudes toward older adults generally, and toward suggested academic library services for them.;Academic libraries must assist their parent university or college in carrying out its objectives. Because the number of older adults in the nation is increasing, and more of these people are attending programs in colleges and universities, libraries of these institutions must make adjustments in their styles of service. Such adjustment comes more effectively when professionals in the library exhibit positive attitudes toward services for new users.;Predictor variables were: librarians' contact with older adult members in the family, planning library programs for older adults, implementing library programs for older adults, and librarians' involvement in community organizations for older adults. Other predictors were librarians' age, sex, educational preparation, and position held. The criterion variable was "attitudes.".;Of 311 questionnaires mailed, 197 provided usable data. Results showed that: (1) librarians disagreed overall with the stereotypic statements. This was indicated by a close relationship in a Pearson Correlation among the six categories of statements. Means of summed scores, and means of responses by sex, age and position were similar, and indicated disagreement with the stereotypic statements; (2) contact with older adult relatives was not a significant factor in librarians' response to stereotypic statements; (3) implementing library programs for older adults was a significant factor in librarians' agreement with suggested library services for older adults, while planning programs for them was less significant and volunteer community work was not a significant factor. Librarians felt that age is not necessarily a debilitative factor with regard to learning and motivation to learn in older adults.;Changing attitudes is not a simple, but rather a complex task. With the nation becoming one with a larger portion of older adults, it may be necessary for academic librarians to undertake roles once thought to be the exclusive purview of the public library.