The public library as social infrastructure for older patrons: Exploring the implications of online library programming for older adults during COVID-19 |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Health, Aging and Society, McMaster University, Kenneth Taylor Hall Room 230A, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4, Canada;2. Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging, McMaster University, L.R. Wilson Hall, Room 2027, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada;1. College of Public Administration, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China;2. School of Information Management, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China;1. Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;2. Department of Library Management, Faculty of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Selangor Branch, Puncak Perdana Campus, Section U10, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia;1. The University of Texas at Austin School of Information, 1616 Guadalupe St, Suite #5.202, Austin, TX 78701, USA;2. University of Michigan Library, 919 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;3. University of Michigan School of Information, 105 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;2. Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Public library systems' websites were often the sole means for older patrons to access library services and programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study integrated Pauwels' (2012) framework to analyze 25 Ontario public library systems' websites for evidence of their available programming for older adults during the early months of COVID-19. The 640 identified programs for older adults revealed a number of patterns, including issues regarding visibility and representation of older patrons on library websites as well as assumptions surrounding older adults' access to technologies. Discussions consider three implications for public libraries as they reopen and create new virtual spaces “postpandemic”: questioning (re)distributions of resources that support both virtual and in-person services, questioning implicit assumptions that digital connection will foster social connection, and questioning the effects of the library as a virtual space on feelings of social connectedness. |
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