The impact of retirement of baby boomers on public libraries - a major project

 

Partners

  • Information and Telecommunications Needs Research (Charles Sturt University and Monash University)
  • Upper Murray Regional Library
  • State Library of NSW
  • Public Libraries Australia Ltd
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Research team

  • Dr Kirsty Williamson, Charles Sturt and Monash Universities
  • Mrs Marion Bannister, Independent researcher
  • Jen Sullivan, Charles Sturt and Monash Universities
  • Mrs Lynnette Makin, Upper Murray Regional Library and Public Libraries Australia Ltd
  • Ms Kerrie Burgess, State Library of NSW
  • Ms Jennifer Berryman, State Library of NSW

Introduction

According to the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, Australia's population continued to age as a result of low fertility and increased life expectancy. The biggest change occurred in the older age groups. The proportion of the population aged 55-64 years increased from 9% to 11% between the 2001 and 2006.

Throughout their lifetime baby boomers have had significant influence on Australian society.  They are likely to revolutionise the meaning of ageing and retirement just as they have led other social revolutions in earlier times, for example, the gender revolution.  As a group, boomers are better educated, more technologically literate, and generally wealthier than any previous generation (Salt, 2003).  They have both the potential and the desire to make creative and innovative use of their retirement years, some of it partially through part-time work. They are also renowned for their voracious consumption of information in all media (McKay 1997). 

Public libraries are well placed to assist baby boomers in their retirement. Nevertheless, they must now significantly accelerate planning to ensure that their services are relevant and timely to the cohort, by developing first, an in-depth understanding of the needs of the retiring boomers and secondly, by assessing the service and resource changes required to accommodate these needs.

This project builds on a pilot study conducted in 2005 which focused on the perceived impact of the retirement of the baby boomers on the public library. The results of the pilot study have been extensively documented in two papers (Williamson et al, 2006a; Williamson et al, 2006b). This research will extend the pilot in order to provide more comprehensive and substantial data.

Note:  We define baby boomers as having been born between 1946 and 1965, because these are the dates used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics Social Trends (1999).

Project Aim

To investigate the needs of baby boomers that could be met by public libraries, together with possible responses that public libraries can make.

Objectives

The objectives of the project are:

  • To examine the key characteristics, life experiences, lifestyle preferences, and information and recreational reading preferences of the baby boomers.
  • Related to the above, to examine baby boomers perceived economic, technological, social and cultural needs, post-retirement, including for work and in relation to financial issues they might face.
  • To explore whether there are differences between:

                  *   boomers in rural and remote communities and those in city and regional communities;

                  * ‘leading edge’ (born 1946 - 1954) and ‘trailing edge’boomers, (born 1955 - 1964).

  • To explore the implications of all of the above for the public library of the future, including the role that partnerships between libraries and other organisations might play. 
  • To investigate the above in relation to the early years of baby boomer retirement, including the possible contributions that baby boomers, in their younger retirement years, might make.
  • To investigate perceived needs of the baby boomers when they are ‘frail aged’ (85+ years).
  • To include the perceptions of future library leaders from generations X and Y with regard to all the questions involved.

Method

As was used in the pilot study, the method will be ethnographic, with qualitative techniques (focus groups and interviews) being principally used.

 (1)  Focus groups: The new sample will involve four focus groups of 8-10 baby boomers.  Because ‘leading edge’ boomers predominated in the pilot study, more ‘trailing edge’ boomers need to be included in the four groups.  These focus groups will take place in Sydney, Mildura, Darwin, Brisbane.

(2) Gatekeeper interviews:  The new sample will include twelve new gate keeper (people in key community roles, who are known to have knowledge of, and interest in, public libraries) interviewees. Six of these gate keepers will be leading library managers, one from every Australian state.  Half will be younger – part of generations X or Y – and half will be in the baby boomer age group.  The other six gatekeeper interviewees will be high-profile non- librarians, who are baby boomers themselves or experts in the area. This major study will attempt to include Australia-wide representation by including focus group or gatekeeper interviewees from every Australian state.

Deliverables

This critical piece of research will inform Australian public libraries in the planning, development and implementation of services that will assist the baby boomer generation in their transition from full time work to retirement and beyond.

There will be a range of deliverables particularly aimed at promoting the project and advertising the results.

(1)  A formal report will be written and submitted to the funders.

(2)  Journal/newsletter/newspaper articles: There will be a range of these, with choices of publication outlet being determined by agreement amongst the team, which includes representatives of the funding organisations.

(3) Seminar/workshop/conference presentations:  There will, once again, be a range of these, with the take-up of particular opportunities being agreed amongst the team.

(4)  A web-based tool kit to assist libraries to implement change:  This tool kit will include strategies to assist public libraries to implement changes in response to the research. It will be presented in attractive web format and therefore available Australia-wide and beyond.

Timeframe

The project began in November, 2006, and will be completed by the end of 2007.  Writing for publication, and conference presentations, will extend into 2008.

References

McKay, H. (1997) Generations: Baby boomers, their parents and their children.  Sydney:  Macmillan.

Overington, C. (2005) Degeneration X ... the slackers turn 40. The Australian, 30 July.

Salt, B. (2003) The big shift: Welcome to the third Australian culture.  South Yarra, Victoria: Hardie Grant Books.

Williamson, K., Bannister, M., Makin, L., Johanson, G., Schauder, D., & Sullivan, J. (2006a) ‘Wanting it now: Baby boomers and the public library of the future’, The Australian Library Journal, vol. 55, no. 1, Feb, pp. 54 – 72.

Williamson, K., Bannister, M., Makin, L., Johanson, G., Schauder, D., & Sullivan, J. (2006b), ‘When I’m 64: The public library after the retirement of the baby boomers’, in Proceedings of Research Applications in Information and Library Studies Conference, held at the National Library of Australia, 17 – 18 September, 2005. Wagga Wagga: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University, http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/sciagr/sis/CIS/epubs/RAILS2papers.htm