Notes

Public Libraries - Community-Based Health Clubs For the Brain and Mind?
Public libraries moved beyond just offering books way back when, but only now are demographic and scientific trends converging to sustain a more fundamental transformation within their role. A role where they explicitly help promote cognitive health in the community, and potentially use Brain Fitness as a new framework to unify a range of lifelong learning, civic engagement, gaming, and health promotion initiatives.

Some time ago I spoke to librarians at THE BRAND NEW York Public Library (NYPL), about "The Emerging Brain Fitness Field: Research and Implications." I provided an introduction to the way the brain works, discussed the growing research supporting how lifestyle factors donate to lifelong cognitive health, and offered a way to navigate through this emerging and confusing field. This is section of NYPL's first Health & Wellness Month for library staff, which was a significant enabler of major health events for older adults.

This experience highlights two new trends: 1) public libraries are focusing more on health & wellness promotion in order to engage older adults, 2) cognitive health or brain fitness is now a significant element of that promotion.

US Public Census data explains why libraries have to cater to a mature audience. From 2000 to 2020, the quantity of Americans over the age of 55 is likely to grow from under 60 million to close to 100 million. This is due to expanded longevity and to the baby boomer generation moving up the population pyramid.

Brain health offers a unique chance for libraries to activate active boomers and seniors. Rohit Burman, manager of culture and public broadcasting at MetLife Foundation, explains, "Last year we identified a growing interest by boomers and seniors on brain medical issues and thought that public libraries, as community and learning hubs, could play a significant role. So, we decided to launch, in collaboration with the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and Libraries for future years, a fresh iteration of the Fit for Life program, focused squarely on promoting brain fitness."

The Fit for Life program supports 17 library systems from January 2009 to January 2010 that launch new initiatives to promote brain health via the following research-based lifestyle factors: diet, physical activity, intellectual challenge, mental stimulation through new experiences, and socialization.

T here are other new programs libraries are employing to market brain health. For example, the Lifelong Access Libraries Initiative, funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies, is in practice an all-inclusive way for older adults to improve their brain fitness through civic engagement.

Gaming, because of the Nintendo Wii, is quickly emerging as a significant opportunity to foster intergenerational activities. At least 18 of the 89 NYPL locations ordered Wii gaming equipment and software packages in 2008, for both in-library use also to be tested. The American Library Association recently celebrated an official gaming day, including both board games and, yes, video gaming.

Brigid Cahalan, NYPL Older Adults Services Specialist, explains that Wii gaming is becoming one of the most popular activities to engage older adults in the libraries that offer it regularly, complementing the more serious computer classes that had always been the major attraction. She highlights, "If we want to become the hubs of learning and community activity, we need to offer new types of social activities."

In short, libraries already are innovating to engage older adults with lifelong learning, civic engagement, gaming, health & wellness promotion. Brain fitness seems to be the glue that binds all these activities together.

This new reality raises some interesting questions for librarians, aging, and lifelong learning professionals to take into account: Will public libraries become the brain gyms into the future?

Marzena Ermler, Coordinator of Professional Development at NYPL, explains the emphasis on brain health this way, "If only we're able to help people understand that libraries are healthy places for them to go. Learning through life is vital to keep up our brains in good shape as we get older."

Pauline Rothstein, Ph.D., Co-editor of ALA book Longevity and Libraries: Unexpected Voices to be published in late 2009, recommends libraries to "think of brain fitness because the new concept that can help integrate disperse activities, identify additional needed resources, and explain our value to society. It seems sensible to start with specific programming, and use a new framework to judge a number of library services. Public libraries need to redefine themselves away from old thinking and material objects (buildings, books, DVDs...) and concentrate on services: how do we educate, just how do we help navigate the growing avalanche of information 'specifically around how exactly to keep our brains in shape?"

That evolution will demand libraries to proactively pay attention to community expectations, also to partner with local organizations, such as seniors centers, to meet new requirements. If reshaped as Health Clubs of the Brain and the Mind, libraries would give a critical service to an aging population and be centers of information and destinations for brain fitness programs.

Copyright (c) 2009 SharpBrains

Alvaro Fernandez may be the Co-Founder of SharpBrains.com, a website that covers brain training and health resources. Alvaro has been quoted The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN and more. He holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches at UC Berkeley Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. You can Order this brain health book at Amazon.com.
Here's my website: https://cutt.ly/n6iJz4n