News Release

NC Collaboration Chosen as Center of Excellence; UNC Chapel Hill to Host 3rd Annual Lifelong Access Libraries Institute

April 3, 2008

The North Carolina Lifelong Access Libraries Collaboration has been formally designated as a national Center of Excellence and Innovation in the Lifelong Access Libraries Initiative of Libraries for the Future (LFF), the first statewide initiative to receive this honor. The Collaboration members include the UNC Institute on Aging, the UNC School of Information and Library Science (SILS), the Division of Aging and Adult Services, and the State Library.

The Collaboration is forming the basis for the ongoing development of planning, policies and activities aimed at enhancing the civic engagement of older adults in the state of North Carolina. In particular, the Collaboration members are seeking ways in which the state’s public libraries can develop new resources, services and approaches that will allow the growing numbers of baby boomers who are approaching retirement to continue to be vital contributors. The Collaboration will also set a standard for statewide collaboration to bring about a transformation in how libraries understand and work with older adults and partner with other systems focused on improving the quality of life for older adults.

The Institute on Aging will serve as the fiscal agent and headquarters for the Collaboration. The IOA will also house personnel associated with any work which might be undertaken by the Collaboration. The Lifelong Access Libraries Initiative is funded by Atlantic Philanthropies.

Additionally, the UNC Institute on Aging and the UNC School of Information and Library Science have been selected to co-host the Lifelong Access Libraries Institute for the third straight year. This national training institute will be held July 27-30 on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Institute will introduce participants to Lifelong Access, a framework for working with older adults through learning and civic engagement. The focus of the Institute will be on three primary areas:

• Concepts and research underlying new approaches to working with midlife and older adults;
• Promising practices in library services, including the Lifelong Access framework for new older adult services; and
• Leadership and skills in community librarianship.

Selection will be on a competitive basis, and Fellows’ travel, tuition, and room and board for the Institute will be covered by LFF. North Carolina librarians are encouraged to apply. For more information and a downloadable application, visit the Lifelong Institute page. The application deadline is May 5, 2008.

For further information contact Professor Joanne Gard Marshall, School of Information and Library Science and UNC Institute on Aging, marshall@ils.unc.edu or (919) 843-9968.