Running head: THE BABY BOOM GENERATION AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Baby Boom Generation and the Public Library

Dian Hauser

Emporia State University

 Abstract

The Baby Boom Generation, that of Americans born between 1946 and 1964, had a large

impact on society because of the unprecedented increase in births during those years.

Boomers were concerned with retirement: how to manage money, how to continue to

have meaning in their lives, how to enjoy their new freedom from work-when it came.

Boomers, too, were still contending with the sandwich effect of having the generation

below them and above them needing their support. Boomers also dealt with a rapidly

changing technological world--some of them more successfully then others. The public

library, as an institution, helped the boomers by recognizing their needs and attempting to

fill those needs. The Lawrence Public Library was used as an example of how a library

could fulfill its duty to serve this particular group.

 Baby Boomers and the Library

The mission of the Lawrence Public Library as stated, included the lines, "We are

dedicated to the development of full and equal access to information for all people,” and

"We ensure access to information for people of all ages, abilities, and means" (Lawrence,

2006). This library was committed to serving the public as completely as possible.

In serving the Baby Boom generation, this vision of service meant looking at the

population’s special needs and attempting to meet them by providing information

pertinent to this group. The oldest boomers were turning 61 years of age in 2007, and

while these first-born of the generation had not yet reached retirement age, this was fast

approaching. (Wikipedia, 2007). Thus, library support included information regarding

retirement concerns: how to manage money, how to continue to have a meaningful life,

and how to enjoy the freedom that a post-work life afforded.

Library resources for money management included ValueLine stock information

in a text or online format. Another source of financial information was The Motley Fool

Investment Guide: How the Fool Beats Wall Street's Wise Men and How You Can Too

(Garner, 1996) and Suze Orman’s Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your

Destiny (Orman, 2007). This book had information applicable to male boomers as well

as to women.

Resources for boomers seeking meaning in a post-work life included books on

spiritual discovery, such as Deepak Chopra’s How To Know God : The Soul's Journey

Into The Mystery Of Mysteries (2000). Another information source was The

Power of Now: a Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle (2001).

 Recreationally, boomers seemed to be following the pattern set by aging

generations ahead of them. They took to the road. R.V. sales skyrocketed despite

continually high gas prices. (O’Brien, p1) Intrepid tourist needed access to travel guides,

such as Adventuring along the Lewis and Clark Trail : Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska,

South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington (Grossman, 2003), as

well as collections of State Tourism Booklets and pamphlets about roadside attractions

within a particular state. State maps and Atlas that were able to be checked out to the

traveler were also necessary. And for boomers desiring to globe-trot, international guides

were a necessity. Lonely Planet guides and publications such as The Cities Book: a

Journey Through the Best Cities in the World (Lonely Planet, 2006), as well as

circulating, up-to-date foreign maps were essential. Librarians needed to provide reliable

web sites with domestic and foreign travel information. One excellent site on foreign

travel which librarians gave to inquiring boomers was the British Travel Advice by

Country,

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Pa

ge&cid=1007029390590

Boomers were also looking for things to do at home. Books on crafts and home

repair were needed for this group. The Lawrence Public Library had a large selection of

books published by Reader’s Digest on these subjects so that boomers would not go

wanting. Titles in this area ranged from The Papercraft Weekend Workbook: From

Ribbons to Rose Petals, Creative Techniques for Making 50 Stunning Projects (Jones,

2006),to Dream backyards : from planters to decks, over 30 projects to create a beautiful

outdoor living space. (Author, 2006)

 Boomers discovered audio books as both a way deal with weaker vision and as

an accompaniment for exercise, hobbies and travel. The Lawrence Public Library offered

audio download service free to patrons through the NetLibrary online source. For those

boomers who preferred the act of reading, books printed in larger fonts (or Large Print

books) were given more shelf space and more publicity.

Retirement was not the only concern for boomers. Family matters were also

pressing. Many boomers found that they were spared the dreaded “empty-nest syndrome”

and all its angst. They were delivered from it by the arrival to their homes of the older

generation needing care, the return of the younger generations to their childhood home,

or-- for some-- the surprise development of having grandchildren to raise.

Aging parents were returning to the boomer's homes to be cared for as they became

more infirm (Kadlec,p1) Boomers needed information on coping with these elders and

the problems their arrival brought. Medical insurance, health and well-fare, time-

management, and blending families were all issues that the library helped address.

Medical insurance questions were most accurately answered by consulting

reliable websites such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources'

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/rsds.asp. Health and well-fare concerns were covered in

numerous books like The Baby Boomers Guide to Caring for Your Aging Parent by Gene

Williams. The psychological stress of having elders to care for--less-time for other

priorities, and less space in the home--was addressed in helpful books, like Full

Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinns(2005), and in audiobooks for the time-starved

boomer. One such tape found in the Lawrence Public Library was comic Loretta

LaRoche' Life is Not a Stress Rehearsal (2001).

 Boomers who found themselves sharing space with grown children could find

coping information through When Generations Collide by Lynne Lancaster (2002). And

grandparents who suddenly had grandchildren to raise could find help geared to their

particular needs in the Parenting area of the Lawrence Public Library's Children's Room.

As noted, the Baby Boom generation covered a wide age range, and this was very

apparent in the group’s technological savvy. While some boomers were conversant in the

most current tech updates, other members of this population were unable (and sometimes

unwilling) to post an email. Databases such as Cranky.com ( http://www.cranky.com/)

were geared to help the “aging baby boomer” who was confused by Google and other

search engines that “spew[ed] out more than older eyes care[d] to see” (Liedtke,p1).

For boomers interested in learning about technology, there were excellent sources

in text. The International Data Group Company (IDG) series of visual how-to books was

a good resource, with colorfully drawn screen-shots of its instructions for a variety of

database and web applications. Another fine source was the “Dummies” book series.

While remedial web sites and books were a solution for some technophobe

boomers, the librarian had to be aware that some members of this generation were not

going to embrace the new technologies-- nor was this required of them. The Lawrence

Public Library staff used the “reference interview” and a diagnosis of the needs of

individual members of this population to ascertain a “preferred format” (Grover &

Carabell p6). With this knowledge the librarians were able to help patrons search for

information more efficiently..

The Baby Boom Generation could be served adequately at the Lawrence Public

Library, as seen from the resources available to this group.

 References

Chopra, D. (2000). How to Know God: The Soul’s Journey Into the Mysteries.

New York: Harmony Books.

Grossman, E. (2003). Adventuring along the Lewis and Clark Trail : Missouri, Illinois,

Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon,

Washington. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.

Grover, R. & Carabell, J. (1995). Towards Better Information Service:Diagnosing

Information Needs. Special Libraries.Winter 1995, 61-70.

Jones, F. (2006). The Papercraft Weekend Workbook : From Ribbons to Rose Petals,

Creative Techniques for Making 50 Stunning Projects. Pleasantville, N.Y. :

Reader's Digest Association.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Full Catastrophe Living : Using the Wisdom of Your Body and

Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness . New York : Delta Trade Paperbacks

Kadlec, D. (2007). “Homeward Bound. (Life:Life After Work).” Time 169.17

(April 23, 2007): 66.

Lancaster, L & Stillman, D. (2002). When Generations Collide: Traditionalists, Baby

Boomers, Generation Xers, Millennials : Who They Are, why They Clash,

How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work. New York: HarperBusiness.

LaRoche, L. (2001). Life is Not a Stress Rehearsal.New York: BDD Audio

Lawrence Public Library Mission Statement (2006) Retrieved April 18, 2007

from http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/policies/mission.html

Liedtke, M. (2007). New Search Engine for Aging Boomers. Buffalo News. RedOrbit
Breaking News. ProQuest Information and Learning. Retrieved April 15, 2007
 from http://www.redorbit.com/ news/technology/810831/new_search_engine

Lowry, B. (2007). “The Boomer Century. (Television program review). Daily Variety 2

94.62 (March 27, 2997): 6(2). Retrieved April 14, 2007 from Business and

Company ASAP. Thomson Gale. Emporia State University Library

Mar.-Apr.2007

O’Brien, S. (2007). Why is RV Travel So Popular with Baby Boomer? About: Senior

Living. Retrieved on April 20, 2007 from

http://seniorliving.about.com/od/travelsmart/a/rvtravelgrowth.htm

Orman, S. (2007). Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny.

New York: Spiegel & Grau

Reader’s Digest (2006). Dream backyards : from planters to decks, over 30 projects

to create a beautiful outdoor living space. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Author.

Tolle, E. (2001). The Power of Now: a Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.

Novato, Calif. : New World Library.

Wikipedia. (2007). Post-World War II Baby Boom. Retrieved on April 16, 2007

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-World_War_II_baby_boom

Williams, G. Kay, P. & Williams, D. (2005). The Baby Guide to Caring for Your Aging

Parent. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publications.