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No. 77, July 2013

Reading is a cause that is championed by libraries around the world and children are usually the main target group, given that reading is a basic skill for functional literacy. The National Library Board (NLB) has many initiatives that promote reading to children, both within the libraries and through collaborative partnerships, such as with the Ministry of Education. However, in recent years, with a growing population of older persons aged 50 and above, NLB has also began to promote reading, in targeted ways, to those who are reaching or have reached their silver years. This is part of NLB’s mission to develop readers for life.

Promoting reading to older adults requires a different approach as it is no longer a case of inculcating a skill that will help them for the rest of their lives, as much as it is about engaging them mentally and encouraging them to expand their horizons through the world of books. Research suggests that older adults who are mentally engaged show a lower incidence of dementia and depression. In a Japanese experiment involving some 124 community dwelling seniors aged between 70 and 86 years, these older persons were asked to read on a daily basis. They were able to show that daily reading resulted in an improvement in their cognitive functions. The seniors who read were shown to be more mentally agile compared to the control group.¹

A population of mentally healthy older adults has a positive impact on society. They are a valuable source of knowledge and experience and are also less of a strain on the healthcare system. It is in this vein of thought that NLB came up with a suite of services known as “Time of Your Life, Services for the 50plus”.

“Carpe Diem,” the Latin phrase that means “seize the day” governs the Time of Your Life overarching concept. It invites everyone to make the most of every day and live life to the fullest, in other words, to have the time of their life. This concept is supported by 4 arms: “Time to Discover,” “Time to Read,” “Time to Connect” and, “Time to Share.” Each arm covers a specific objective that all contributes to and hopefully extends the reading and learning life of older adults.

	Time to Discover aims to bridge the digital divide by helping older adults with their information technology needs through subsidised computer courses and the provision of free internet usage at libraries.
	Time to Read covers the reading promotions by the library, which strives to highlight the importance of reading in the everyday lives of older adults.
	Time to Connect is about opportunities for older adults to bond, both among themselves and with other generations. This arm covers the programmes and initiatives that facilitate the transfer of knowledge both to and from the silver generation.
	Time to Share recognises that older adults are valuable to society and provides them with opportunities to volunteer in the library.

With the four arms, NLB’s services to the 50plus are developed in a holistic fashion that takes into account the diverse interests, needs and abilities of older adults. As this is an article on reading promotions, the following paragraphs will focus on the “Time to Read” portion of NLB’s Time of Your Life initiative.

Development of a Reading Promotion Model Suitable for Older Adults

In order to find a model that worked for older adults, the team conducted a series of interviews and observations on the ground to understand the habits of older adults. Some of the discoveries were:

• A large number of older adults were more comfortable in their mother tongue, as opposed to English (in Singapore this usually means Malay, Tamil or Mandarin)
• Many did not have a habit of reading for pleasure or leisure but would read the newspapers
• Many did not see themselves as readers and associated reading as an activity for those who were more “educated”
• A number preferred to read non-fiction books that taught a skill such as cooking or craft
• Older adults often have routines and preferred to keep to them
• Many said that if the library were to present something to them, they had to be things that were practical to their lives.

Taking all these points into consideration, the team decided that the image of reading to older adults needed a makeover. Reading has many intangible benefits but in order to reach out to older adults, reading had to be re-presented in a form that enabled reading to become an integral part of each of their lives. After numerous iterations, the Time of Your Life Kit was born.

The full name of the kit is The Time of Your Life Kit: Reading Recommendations for Every Day of the Year and it takes the form of a desk calendar. Following monthly themes that can range from health and travel to fiction and movies, the calendar showcases the parts of NLB’s library collection that older adults would most likely be interested in. The calendar as a form also reminds everyone in the family that reading should be an everyday activity. The form combined with content is an attempt to use a practical item (calendar) as a vessel of information that would be useful and interesting to older adults. Through this, interest in reading is seeded as they are now more aware of how reading can enrich their existing life, whether it is learning how to cook a new dish or getting travel advice on senior-friendly destinations.

The books recommended within the kit are drawn from NLB’s collection in the four official languages – English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil – to cater to those who are more comfortable with reading in their mother tongue. Librarians select and review the books based on topics and their relevance to older adults. Fiction titles contain both best selling literary titles and general popular fiction as older adults also have differing genre preferences. The guiding principle when selecting books to review is to showcase a wide scope of topics from the library’s collection so that the message that there is something for everyone in the library is made more apparent.

< The Time of Your Life Kit – A Reading Recommendations Calendar >

< Each day is accompanied by a book >

< A short synopsis is on the flip side, which serves as a teaser to encourage the viewer to pick up the book and find out more >

Distributing the Kits to Older Adults

The Time of Your Life Kit is divided into 6 issues, each issue containing two months worth of recommendations. Adults aged 50 and above can collect the kit from any of NLB’s public libraries for free as long as they fulfill the following conditions. They should:

• Be Singaporeans or Permanent Residents
• Be a library member
• Have borrowed a book from the library

As the kit is produced using public funds, it is free for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents only and to encourage use of the library, interested patrons also have to sign up as a library member and borrow a book. To collect each issue, library patrons will need to come back every two months and borrow a book. Through this, NLB hopes that library use can be instilled as a habit, which is a step to making reading a regular part of one’s routine.

To date, more than 25,000 kits have been given out at libraries and feedback has been positive. Many older adults have thanked the library for coming out with initiatives for them and they felt valued. Older adults who were avid readers are also delighted with the new reading recommendations.

The Time of Your Life Kit is NLB’s reading promotion for older adults in 2013 and it will continue until the end of the year. The best part is that the reading recommendations desk calendar does not have a year tied to it and can be used again and again, in the same way that a person can go back to re-read a beloved book. Following the current reading promotion that focuses on promoting the library’s collection, future reading promotions for older adults will focus on making reading more engaging. Stay tuned to NLB for more.

¹ Uchida, S., & Kawashima, R. (2008). Reading and solving arithmetic problems improves cognitive functions of normal aged people: a randomized controlled study. Age, 30(1), 21-9. Retrieved September 1, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2408250251).