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class="article-header__publishing-info"> <span class="publishing-info__byline"> By <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/authors/rosie-newmark/">Rosie Newmark</a> | </span> <span class="publishing-info__date">November 1, 2024</span> </p> </div> <div class="article-container"> <div class="article-body"> <div class="article-body__social-share"><div class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/11/01/for-the-ages/" data-a2a-title="For the Ages"><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Ffor-the-ages%2F&linkname=For%20the%20Ages" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Ffor-the-ages%2F&linkname=For%20the%20Ages" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_email" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Ffor-the-ages%2F&linkname=For%20the%20Ages" title="Email" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_print" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/print?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Ffor-the-ages%2F&linkname=For%20the%20Ages" title="Print" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a></div></div> <figure class="post-thumbnail" style="max-width:970px;"><img width="970" height="647" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/trends-book-clubs.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" alt="An older woman and a child look at a photo of a Ferris wheel." decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/trends-book-clubs.jpg 970w, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/trends-book-clubs-300x200.jpg 300w, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/trends-book-clubs-200x133.jpg 200w, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/trends-book-clubs-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Members of Totoket Valley Elementary School’s (TVES) intergenerational book club, comprising 4th-graders from TVES and residents from North Branford Senior Center in Northford, Connecticut, complete an activity based on the book <i>Mr. Ferris and His Wheel</i> in 2023. <span class="credit">Photo: Shelly Thompson</span></figcaption></figure><p class="p4"><p class="lead">On a Wednesday in February 2023,<span class="s1"> anyone stopping by the North Branford Senior Center in Northford, Connecticut, might have expected to hear big-band music or golden oldies, not Disney songs. But that was before the 4th-graders got there.</p></span></p> <p class="p6"><span class="s2">“There’s so much that we share / That it’s time we’re aware / It’s a small world after all,” several older adults sang along with students, who were visiting from nearby Totoket Valley Elementary School (TVES) as part of an intergenerational book club. The song was part of the club’s discussion of the picture book <a href="https://www.booklistonline.com/Mr-Ferris-and-His-Wheel-Kathryn-Gibbs-Davis/pid=6714033" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>Mr. Ferris and His Wheel</i></a> by Kathryn Gibbs Davis, which is set during the 1893 world’s fair in Chicago. </span></p> <p class="p6">“There [are] moments where suddenly, the years melt away, and the 4th-graders and the seniors are responding in similar ways to the story,” says Carrie Seiden, former teacher-librarian and gifted education specialist at TVES.</p> <p class="p6"><span class="s2">For example, during their reading of <i>Mr. Ferris and His Wheel,</i> some participants disclosed small details—like that they loved Ferris wheels or found them scary—while one older adult talked about actually attending a world’s fair. Her story got the kids hooked. “She just made it really real,” Seiden says. </span></p> <p class="p6"><span class="s1">In intergenerational book clubs, members of different ages come together to discuss literature. Libraries often host them in partnership with local senior organizations, offering young people and older adults the chance to socialize, build connections, share stories, and find out what they have in common. </span></p> <p class="p6">“We had some seniors involved who did not have children or grandchildren and were just so grateful to be part of the program,” Seiden says of TVES’s club, which began in 2019. “On the other side, we had kids that didn’t have that generation in their lives, so it was just very sweet and tender.”</p> <h2 class="p7">Not your typical classroom</h2> <p class="p5">At Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries’ Little Falls branch in Bethesda, the intergenerational book club between local middle schoolers and retired adult volunteers from the Jewish Council for the Aging, which began in the spring of 2020, is held virtually. It started as an attempt to create more virtual programming in the height of the pandemic but has remained an offering due to its popularity. It is run by Judy Ehrenstein, head of children’s services, and Shawna Leonard, teen librarian, both from the Little Falls branch.</p> <p class="p6">Recently, the club read<i><a href="https://www.booklistonline.com/Attack-of-the-Black-Rectangles-/pid=9765499" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Attack of the Black Rectangles</a>, </i>a middle grade novel about censorship by A. S. King. Leonard says that while she thought students would be more focused on the importance of learning about censored content, they ultimately focused more on why the characters in the book chose to censor in the first place.</p> <p class="p6">Students are encouraged to stray from the typical book report format, Ehrenstein notes. The club’s aim is to help students develop their public speaking skills outside the classroom. “We’re trying to give them the freedom to say, ‘I just don’t think that these were good choices made in this book’ and ‘I don’t understand,’” she says. “I don’t think you ever get to say that when you’re in school.”</p> <p class="p6"><span class="s2">Some seniors and students were hesitant to speak up at the beginning of TVES’s club, Seiden says, because they were afraid to read aloud or say the wrong thing. Soon, they learned to laugh at their mistakes; learn from one another; and to take turns teaching, speaking, and listening. “The seniors get to see how intelligent and thoughtful 4th-graders are, just how wise they are in their own way,” Seiden adds. </span></p> <h2 class="p7">Finding common ground</h2> <p class="p5">Arlington (Mass.) High School (AHS) has hosted its Intergen Book Club in conjunction with its town’s Council on Aging each year since 2005. Students can submit the hours they participated in the book club for their community service requirement. Participants help choose what they read and have read titles across many genres, including frequently <a href="https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned books</a> like <i>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</i> by Stephen Chbosky, <i>Maus</i> by <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2022/06/01/newsmaker-art-spiegelman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Art Spiegelman</a>, and <i>The Hate U Give</i> by <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2023/05/01/newsmaker-angie-thomas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angie Thomas</a>.</p> <p class="p6">“Since banned and challenged books have been so much in the news in recent years, our members have certainly been interested in understanding that,” says Stacy Kitsis, AHS library teacher and book club co-organizer.</p> <blockquote><p>There [are] moments where suddenly, the years melt away, and the 4th-graders and the seniors are responding in similar ways to the story. <span class="pullquote__attribution">—Carrie Seiden, former teacher-librarian and gifted education specialist at Totoket Valley Elementary School in Northford, Connecticut</span></p></blockquote> <p class="p6">Marci Shapiro-Ide, a social worker from the Council on Aging who co-runs the club with Kitsis, says that over time, American society has gone away from living in multigenerational households. Reading <i>Maus,</i> in particular, was eye-opening for students: They learned that some of the senior members had parents or other relatives who were Holocaust survivors.</p> <p class="p6">“There are a lot of kids who don’t have exposure to people of different generations,” adds Shapiro-Ide. “These interactions help boost kids’ empathy.” One student went on to write his college essay about the positive impact the book club left on him.</p> <h2 class="p7">Sharing wisdom</h2> <p class="p5"><span class="s1">Little Falls’ club organizers have considered transitioning to in-person meetings but found that participants prefer the virtual format because they can join the meetings from anywhere without having to find transportation or navigate conflicts with other activities.</span></p> <p class="p6">“There was one student who would call in from the gym because she had practice until 4:30 and we started at 4:30,” Leonard says. Offering multiple meetings per book, she adds, is what makes the club successful; it allows students to get comfortable around adults and gives them time to build confidence during discussions.</p> <p class="p6">AHS’s Kitsis emphasizes the importance of fostering a nonjudgmental, welcoming environment. People are encouraged to come regardless of what point they are in the book, “even if you didn’t get to start [it].”</p> <p class="p6">She adds, “Don’t ever feel like if you didn’t finish it, you can’t come and talk. We don’t judge anybody, and I think that makes a big difference.”</p> <p class="p6">Seiden recommends acquiring large-print books for accessibility purposes. Ones that appeal to multiple ages are becoming more commonplace, she says, though it might be difficult to find them in a local or school library. “The key to these intergenerational book clubs is just finding the right texts,” Seiden says. “I think it would work regardless, but the right book just seems to become magic.”</p> </div> <div class="article-footer"> <div class="article-footer__byline"><p>ROSIE NEWMARK is a recent graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she studied journalism.</p> </div> <div class="article-footer__social-share"> <h4>Share</h4> <div class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/11/01/for-the-ages/" data-a2a-title="For the Ages"><a class="a2a_button_facebook" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Ffor-the-ages%2F&linkname=For%20the%20Ages" title="Facebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Ffor-the-ages%2F&linkname=For%20the%20Ages" title="Twitter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_email" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Ffor-the-ages%2F&linkname=For%20the%20Ages" title="Email" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a><a class="a2a_button_print" href="https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/print?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Famericanlibrariesmagazine.org%2F2024%2F11%2F01%2Ffor-the-ages%2F&linkname=For%20the%20Ages" title="Print" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"></a></div> </div> <div class="article-footer__tags"> <h4>Tagged Under</h4><ul><li><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/tag/aging-and-seniors/" rel="tag">aging and seniors</a></li><li><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/tag/book-clubs/" rel="tag">book clubs</a></li><li><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/tag/children/" rel="tag">children</a></li><li><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/tag/public-libraries/" rel="tag">public libraries</a></li><li><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/tag/school-libraries/" rel="tag">school libraries</a></li></ul> </div> <div class="article-footer__related-articles"> </div> </div> </div> </article> <p style="color: black; 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float: left; margin-right: 20px;"> <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/11/01/from-the-library-with-love-online-dating/"><img width="300" height="200" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/trends-seniors-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Seniors dating" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/trends-seniors-300x200.jpg 300w, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/trends-seniors-768x512.jpg 768w, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/trends-seniors.jpg 970w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><br /><br /> <h3 class="entry-title"><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/11/01/from-the-library-with-love-online-dating/">From the Library with Love</a></h3> <h4>Information professionals help older adults parse the features and culture of online dating apps</h4> </div> </div> <div id="comments" class="comments-area"> </div> </div> <div class="col-sidebar"> <aside id="latestlinks-3" class="widget col-sidebar__latest-library-links-widget"> <h2><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/latest-links/">Latest Library Links</a></h2> <div class="latest-library-links__container"> <ul id="latest-links"> <li id="post-145956" class="post-145956 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">4h</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145957" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cocoanuts-150.png" alt="Groucho, Harpo, and Chico Marx in The Cocoanuts" width="150" height="100" />Joe Foley writes: “Copyright rules vary from country to country and have changed over time. In the US, works created between 1929 and 1963 that gave notice and renewed copyright have 95 years from their first publication date. That means that on January 1, 2025, a host of works from 1929 will enter the public domain. This means that copyright will expire on Buck Rogers, Captain Easy, Horace Horsecollar, Tintin, Hal Foster’s first <em>Tarzan</em> comic strips and, yes, Popeye.” Other notable works entering public domain in the United States include the <a href="https://everybodyslibraries.com/2024/12/07/take-your-marx/">Marx Brothers’ first film, <em>The Cocoanuts</em></a>, <a href="https://everybodyslibraries.com/2024/12/03/a-powerful-voice-joins-the-public-domain-chorus/">contralto Marian Anderson’s first record</a>, and <a href="https://publicdomainreview.org/features/entering-the-public-domain/2025/">Ernest Hemingway’s <em>A Farewell to Arms</em></a><em>.</em></p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://www.creativebloq.com/art/all-these-iconic-artworks-and-characters-lose-copyright-in-2025" target="_blank">Creative Bloq, Dec. 7; Everybody’s Libraries, Dec. 3, Dec. 7; Public Domain Review, Dec. 10 </a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145954" class="post-145954 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">21h</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145955" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/children-celebrating-150.jpg" alt="Children celebrating at a computer" width="150" height="100" />Brittany Adams writes: “The digital landscape of libraries is expanding rapidly, with an increasing shift towards electronic resources and online services. As members of the library community, we’re witnessing a transformative era where physical collections are complemented—and sometimes replaced—by digital ones. This transition offers new opportunities for enhancing accessibility and engagement, but it also presents challenges, especially for young patrons and their families. It is essential to equip children and their caregivers with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate this evolving space confidently.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2024/12/navigating-the-transition-to-digital-library-resources/" target="_blank">ALSC Blog, Dec. 9</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145952" class="post-145952 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">1d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145953" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/embedded-150.jpg" alt="Group of hexagons, a few of which are a different color" width="150" height="100" />Karen O’Grady writes: “I am the embedded librarian for the Hahn School of Nursing at the University of San Diego. I am surrounded by nursing faculty, staff, and students rather than by librarians. This has proven to be an incredible gamechanger for the way I see things. Every student in my school knows me by name. I am often stopped in the hallway to answer questions. Every correct answer I give increases my authority and builds trust. Through these casual mini-lessons, this foreign animal called ‘librarian’ slowly becomes an approachable, knowledgeable person.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/26596" target="_blank"><i>College & Research Libraries News</i>, Dec.</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145949" class="post-145949 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">1d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-132558" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ALA-Emerging-Leaders-150.jpg" alt="ALA Emerging Leaders logo" width="150" height="100" />ALA has selected 46 participants for its <a href="https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/ALA%202025%20Class%20of%20Emerging%20Leaders.pdf">2025 class of Emerging Leaders</a> (EL). The EL program allows library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers. The group will take part in a day-long session during the <a href="https://2025.alaliblearnx.org/">2025 LibLearnX conference</a> in Phoenix this January and work for six months, culminating in a poster session at <a href="https://2025.alaannual.org/">ALA’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition</a> in Philadelphia in June, where they will highlight results of their project planning work.</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://www.ala.org/news/2024/12/ala-announces-2025-class-emerging-leaders" target="_blank">ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Dec. 4</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145948" class="post-145948 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">2d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-129001" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ala-logo.png" alt="ALA logo" width="150" height="100" />On December 9, <a href="https://www.ala.org/news/2024/12/american-library-association-receives-transformational-gift-fund-scholarships">ALA announced a $25 million bequest</a> by James W. Lewis, of Washington, D.C. The gift, the largest individual bequest in ALA’s history, will fund scholarships for aspiring librarians with demonstrated financial needs. Throughout Lewis’s career at Merrill Lynch, where he leads the Lewis Group as senior vice president and senior relationship manager, he has demonstrated his commitment to libraries and their communities by generously volunteering his time, including as a member of the Board of Visitors at the library of his alma mater, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He also served as a Library Trustee Board member at District of Columbia Public Library for 10 years.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-receives-transformational-gift-to-fund-scholarships/" target="_blank">AL: The Scoop, Dec. 9</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145942" class="post-145942 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">2d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-145943" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ym-prendergrast-150.jpg" alt="Youth Matters by Tess Pendergast" width="150" height="100" />Tess Prendergast writes: “I will never forget the surprised look on one mom’s face during storytime when I dropped a tip—technically called an <em>aside</em>—about how rhyming helps babies differentiate sounds and prepares them for reading. “You mean that all this singing will help her in school?” she asked. “I thought we were just doing this for fun!” Early literacy activities are certainly fun—but also valuable. Many parents and caregivers aren’t aware that simple, everyday activities can benefit their child’s early language and literacy development and have a lasting positive impact on their learning.”</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2024/11/01/the-upside-to-asides/" target="_blank"><i>American Libraries</i> column, Nov./Dec.</a></p> </div> </li> <li id="post-145944" class="post-145944 latest-links type-latest-links status-publish hentry"> <div class="latest-library-links__timestamp-container"> <span class="link-timestamp">2d</span> </div> <div class="latest-library-links__content-container"> <p class="link-content"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-129001" src="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ala-logo.png" alt="ALA logo" width="150" height="100" />Joel Thornton, associate dean, collections and scholarly communication at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, has withdrawn his candidacy for 2025–2028 treasurer of the ALA. Larry Neal, director of Clinton-Macomb (Mich.) Public Library, is the remaining nominated candidate for ALA treasurer. Members who are interested in running by petition for ALA treasure may do so by completing <a href="http://www.ala.org/CFApps/epetition/index.cfm">a petition form</a> with the signatures of no fewer than 200 current personal ALA members, and a <a href="https://nom.election-america.com/ALAElections/SSOLogin">Candidate Biographical Information Form</a>, by December 13.</p> </p> <p class="link-source"><a href="https://www.ala.org/news/2024/12/thornton-withdraws-candidacy-2025-2028-ala-treasurer" target="_blank">ALA Governance Office, Dec. 9</a></p> </div> </li> </ul> <a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/latest-links/" id="latest-library-more" class="latest-library-links__container__more-links">View more Latest Library Links</a> </div> </aside><aside id="black-studio-tinymce-3" class="widget col-sidebar__widget_black_studio_tinymce"><h2 class="widgettitle">AL Live</h2> <div class="textwidget"><p><a href="https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/al-live/"><img 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