National Provision to the Elderly in Public Libraries. Preliminary Results of a Postal Survey Conducted in 1993
| Pages | 28-32 |
| Date | 01 December 1994 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435129410071381 |
| Published date | 01 December 1994 |
| Author | Penelope Street |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
As the first stage of research into the information
needs of the elderly, a postal questionnaire was
initiated. It was hoped that this would reveal
useful information about the current levels of
service offered to this group, defined for this
purpose as the over 60s. In order to achieve this
objective the questionnaire was designed to
examine all aspects of service provision to the
elderly. It was administered to 110 English Local
Authorities in two stages between June and
August 1993. By the end of September 68
completed questionnaires had been returned, a
response rate of 62 per cent. During the course of
my investigations several respondents indicated
an interest in future findings. This article
represents an early attempt to satisfy this interest.
The aims of the survey were to:
●identify the ways in which public libraries in
England have interpreted their responsibility
to the elderly;
●assess the amount and range of resources
which have been specifically allocated to
services to the elderly;
●assess co-operation with other local authority
departments and voluntary agencies.
What follows is a brief explanation and analysis
of the main questions asked of respondents.
Definition of “Elderly”
The questionnaire commenced with an open
question asking how respondents defined the term
“elderly”. It was anticipated that this would
provide useful information about how library
authorities perceived this varied section of society.
Analysis of the responses revealed a relatively
standard definition of the elderly as being anyone
over retirement age (differentiated as 65 for men
and 60 for women). This opinion was shared by
54.4 per cent of respondents. A small number
(10.3 per cent) acknowledged the increasing trend
towards early retirement by indicating a 50/55+
starting-point, while 4.4 per cent veered towards
the other end of the spectrum and stated 70+ as
representing the onset of old age. A few (7.4 per
cent) responded with an abstract definition of how
they perceived the elderly and a relatively high
number (23.5 per cent) sadly offered no
definition.
Range of Services Provided
The first section attempted to elicit background
information about the range of services provided
and the degree of liaison involved. Of the 86 per
cent of authorities which provided specific
services for the elderly, 76 per cent had developed
a written policy statement with an even smaller
number, 29 per cent, actually having undertaken
market research into the needs of the elderly. This
reveals that sadly the majority of libraries are still
providing services which are perceived as being
required rather than actually attempting to define
what their users want and then seeking to respond
to those wants.
A general question, aimed at eliciting
information about the range of services provided
to the elderly, revealed that all libraries provided
large print material and talking books. With one
exception, all libraries also provided domiciliary
services and services to residential organizations.
A similar percentage (91 per cent) had extended
domiciliary provision to day centres, thus
covering all aspects of residential and
institutionalized care. Ninety-three per cent of the
LIBRARY MANAGEMENT
28
National Provision to the
Elderly in Public Libraries
Preliminary Results of a Postal Survey
Conducted in 1993
Penelope Street
Library Management, Vol. 15 No. 8, 1994, pp. 28-32
© MCB University Press, 0143-5124
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