You've probably heard it by now: the first of the baby boomers started turning 60 in 2006. Born between 1946-1964 in the prosperous post-war U.S., they were preceded by the Silent Generation, and the Greatest Generation before that. Every day thousands of boomers throughout the country undergo a modern rite of passage--they get their AARP invitations in the mail upon turning 50.

Don't despair if you are a Boomer, or a Silent, or a Greatest--the public library is with you every step of the way. Chances are you grew up going to your public library. But people have changed; they take advantage of the myriad options now available for getting information and spending leisure time. And libraries have changed; the passing of the card catalog since the 1980s has left some bereft of a lifelong friend. Libraries throughout the U.S. constantly retool to meet the needs of library users and, as librarians, we welcome the 50+ population, in its millions of manifestations, through our physical and virtual doors.

Libraries for the Future, a national nonprofit organization based in New York, has been partnering with public libraries throughout the country since 1992 to "respond creatively to the changing needs and opportunities of their communities." In 2006 they began the Lifelong Access Libraries Initiative to support libraries eager to enhance their services to the active older adult. The New York Public Library has responded to the generous invitation to ratchet up their knowledge and skills to improve libraries for the 50+ population.

As a librarian who has benefited from LFF's training by participating in their 2007 Lifelong Access Institute, I'm starting this blog--my first--to share what we are doing at The New York Public Library, plus related items of interest. Feel free to comment, suggest, nudge, blather, or whatever, as the spirit moves you.