Beyond Books: Adult Library Programs for a New Era

Beyond Books: Adult Library Programs for a New Era takes us out of the stacks and past the traditional walls of the library to reach underserved and overworked adults in our communities -- adults who might not think they need the library in their lives.

Readers are introduced to the concept of adult programming through a multifaceted approach based on a solid foundation of behavioral science, real-life library experience, and data on current trends in libraries and other institutions. This book posits that offering diverse adult programs is an important catalyst for fostering community connection and individual wellness, and that no librarian needs to deliver them alone. Partnerships are not only helpful; they are essential to preventing librarian burnout.

Themes of the book center on passive versus active programs, the importance of intergenerational involvement, and programs that touch a variety of topics divided by the following sections:

Food & Drink, Arts & Crafts, Books & Writing, Technology & Media, Health & Wellness, Business & Finance, and Nature & Gardening.
This book provides clear, step-by-step models and strategies for delivering adult programs (both in-person and online), including where to find funding, getting administrative and municipal buy-in, creating partnerships in the community, addressing possible legal issues, marketing tactics, training staff and volunteers, and how to evaluate programs.

Whether you’re a student, a brand new recruit, or a seasoned public or academic librarian, there will be something in this book to inspire you to move your adult library programs beyond book clubs (without losing those too!).

Jenn Carson is the Director of the LP Fisher Public Library and the creator of www.yogainthelibrary.com, a popular, non-profit resource dedicated to educating librarians and teachers about creating yoga and meditation programs in public, school, and academic libraries. She also writes a monthly online column for the American Librarian Association on the delivery of physical literacy programs (www.programminglibrarian.org/users/jcarson) and travels regularly to present at conferences and professional development seminars on how to establish successful movement-based programs in libraries. She will deliver her first keynote address in October 2019.



Carson is also the creator of many webinars, instructional videos, and numerous handouts and worksheets. In 2016, Carson received the Innovation Award from the New Brunswick Public Library Service for her physical literacy initiatives. In 2017, she earned the Atlantic Provinces Library Association Memorial Award to create a website for physical literacy programming in libraries (www.physicaliteracyinthelibrary.com) and was declared a “remarkable woman making a difference in Atlantic Canada” by Amplify East(www.amplifyeast.com/amplifiedvoices/jenn-carson). In 2019, she won the Library Journal Movers & Shakers Award and the Atlantic Provinces Library Association Advocacy Award for her public programming and community involvement.



Carson is the author of Physical Literacy: Movement-Based Programs in Libraries (ALA Editions, 2018) and Yoga and Meditation at the Library: A Practical Guide for Librarians (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), as well as numerous journal articles, book chapters, and reviews. In addition to her professional writing, Carson has had 32 poems published and was nominated for the 2019 Best New Poets anthology.