Programs for Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning is one of the service responses that public library outlets may provide to meet the needs of their communities. According to the PLA, a library that provides a lifelong learning service response "helps address the desire for self directed personal growth and development opportunities" (Nelson 2001, p. 65). Lifelong learning services for adults encompass many kinds of activities and programs to meet the cultural, recreational, and educational needs of the adults served by the library outlet. This chapter provides information about the types of adult lifelong learning programs offered by public library outlets, groups for which such programs are specifically offered, and barriers to providing lifelong learning programs for adults with learning and/or physical disabilities.

Adult Lifelong Learning Programs

The survey asked all the library outlets whether they offered nine types of adult lifelong learning programs during the 12 months prior to the survey. For this survey, the library outlet was considered as offering a program if the outlet provided funding, materials, or staff to support the program, or the library system ran the program within or on behalf of the library outlet. Programs that used library space rented from the library or made available to outside groups by the library, but with no other involvement of the library outlet or system, were not considered offerings of the library outlet.

Computer/Internet instruction, offered by 56 percent of all public library outlets, was the most frequently offered type of adult lifelong learning program (table 7). Forty-three percent of outlets offered book/film discussions or presentations, 41 percent offered cultural performances, and 39 percent offered recreational activities such as crafts, travel, or hobbies. Programs on parenting skills were offered by 20 percent of outlets, financial planning/investment information programs were offered by 18 percent of outlets, employment/career guidance programs by 17 percent of outlets, and college/continuing education guidance programs by 15 percent of outlets. Programs for citizenship preparation were offered by 5 percent of the outlets.

The likelihood of offering most types of adult lifelong learning programs was related to outlet size, as measured by the number of library visits per week. Except for citizenship preparation programs, which did not vary significantly by outlet size, large and medium-sized outlets were more likely to offer all the types of adult lifelong learning programs than were small outlets (table 7). Large outlets were also more likely than medium-sized outlets to offer most of the programs. The exceptions to this pattern were employment/career guidance and college/ continuing education guidance. The likelihood of offering various types of adult lifelong learning programs was also related to metropolitan status. Except for citizenship preparation and college/ continuing education guidance programs, outlets in urban areas were more likely than outlets in rural areas to offer all the types of adult lifelong learning programs.²² The pattern for suburban outlets was less clear, although they tended to resemble urban outlets in many of their program offerings.

All library outlets were asked whether they offered any adult lifelong learning programs specifically for certain groups during the 12 months prior to the survey (see table 8). About a quarter of the outlets offered programs specifically for senior citizens or for parents (24 percent for each). Programs were offered specifically for adults who are limited English speaking and/or recent immigrants by 9 percent of outlets, for adults with physical disabilities by 6 percent of outlets, and for adults with learning disabilities by 5 percent of outlets. Large outlets were more likely than medium-sized outlets, which in turn were more likely than small outlets to offer adult lifelong learning programs specifically for senior citizens, parents, and adults who are limited English speaking and/or recent immigrants. Outlets in urban and suburban areas were more likely than outlets in rural areas to offer programs for these same groups. In addition, urban outlets were more likely than suburban outlets to offer programs for adults who are limited English speaking and/or recent immigrants.

Barriers to Offering Programs for Adults with Disabilities

All library outlets were asked to what extent certain factors were barriers to the outlet's offering lifelong learning programs for adults with learning and/or physical disabilities. Most outlets did not perceive insufficient accessibility to library facilities for the disabled to be a barrier to offering such programs, with 70 percent of outlets indicating it was not a barrier (table 9). Insufficient accessibility was perceived to be a major barrier by 12 percent of outlets. The remaining factors (lack of staff training in working with adults with disabilities, lack of assistive/adaptive devices for adults with disabilities, and insufficient library materials for the blind or physically disabled) were rated as not a barrier by 17 to 24 percent of outlets, and as a major barrier by 33 to 39 percent of outlets. With the exception of insufficient accessibility to library facilities for the disabled, the factors were considered to be a moderate or major barrier by a majority of the outlets.

Small outlets were more likely than large outlets to perceive all the factors as major barriers to offering programs for adults with disabilities (table 10). With one exception, perceptions of the factors as a major barrier did not differ significantly by metropolitan status. The exception is that rural outlets were more likely than urban outlets to perceive a lack of staff training in working with adults with disabilities as a major barrier (45 percent versus 32 percent).

Top