View Project

G2S Project Code: 2015-CT-75784
State: Connecticut
Fiscal Year: 2015

Grantee
BEACON FALLS PUBLIC LIBRARY

Project Director
Director Name: Susan M. Dowdell
Director Phone: 203-729-1441
Director Email: director@mybflib.org

General Information
Title: Wisdom Beyond Years - Beacon Falls Public Library
State Project Code:
Start Date: 07/01/2015
End Date: 06/30/2016
Abstract: "Wisdom Beyond Years: Healthy Lifestyle Series" was a series of two multi-session classes offered by Beacon Falls Public Library designed to help older adults gain knowledge and hobbies that would lead to successful aging practices. "Tracing Your Family Tree" classes helped participants develop skills to trace their heritage, providing an active learning activity and a connection to other learners and information to share with family members. The four "Healthy Cooking" sessions were designed to increase participants' knowledge in a social setting while developing more healthy eating patterns.

State Goal: Literacies and learning

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$5,241.00

$0.00

$3,005.06

$8,246.06

Intent(s)
Improve users' general knowledge and skills.
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Personal/Family health & wellness

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Classes
Narrative: Eight sessions of the genealogy class were held, with each session focusing on a particular skill, search area, or resource. The final session featured a field trip to the Connecticut State Library to learn more about genealogy resources at that facility. 55% of participants at the first genealogy session reported that they had not attended a Beacon Falls library program in the past two years.

Four healthy cooking classes were co-taught by a local dietician who shared nutritional information and a local chef who prepared healthful choices for an entire meal (appetizer to dessert). Participants were able to taste the foods and received copies of the recipes. The local fire department provided program and kitchen facilities, and the library's Friends group raised funds for the food supplies. 26% of participants at the first cooking class reported that they had not attended a Beacon Falls library program in the previous two years.

Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: In-person

Quantity
Session length (minutes): 120
Number of sessions in program: 12
Average number in attendance per session: 14
Number of times program administered: 1

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Suburban
Rural
For what age groups: 50-59 years
60-69 years
70+ years
For what economic types: Economic Not Applicable
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: No
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: No
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: No

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: BEACON FALLS PUBLIC LIBRARY
Address: 10 MAPLE AVE.
City: BEACON FALLS
State: CT
Zip: 06403

Activity Details
Title: Library resources
Narrative: These resources were made available to all library patrons, not just class participants. The library purchased 22 print and electronic titles to support the series. These titles became a part of the library's circulating collection. The library also purchased one-year subscriptions to two genealogical databases, GenealogyBank (available both in-library and from home) and Ancestry Library Edition (available in-library only). There were 2307 uses of Ancestry during the grant period and 359 uses of GenealogyBank during the grant period.

Intent: Improve users' general knowledge and skills.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Combined physical & digital

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 0
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 2
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 21
Number of electronic materials acquired: 1
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0

Partner Information

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: BEACON FALLS PUBLIC LIBRARY
Address: 10 MAPLE AVE.
City: BEACON FALLS
State: CT
Zip: 06403

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important findings or outcomes from your project:
Participants in the genealogy series reported the following outcomes as a result of the classes: 100% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that they learned something new; 100% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that they intend to apply what they learned; and 100% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that they are more aware of applicable resources and services provided by the library. Participants in the cooking classes reported the following outcomes as a result of the classes: 95% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that they learned something new; 95% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that they intend to apply what they learned; and 92% Strongly Agreed or Agreed that they are more aware of applicable resources and services provided by the library.
Please briefly describe importance of findings:
Participants who completed the genealogy class survey indicated a great deal of satisfaction with the class overall. The commitment they made to attending most or all of the eight sessions contributed to this result. In contrast, while there was general overall satisfaction in terms of participant learning, those in the healthy cooking classes were less likely to Strongly Agree that they had learned something new and helpful and intended to apply what they learned. This may have been due to participants’ background knowledge.
What methods did you use to determine your findings? Check all that apply:
Survey
Participant Observation
Based on outputs, outcomes and/or other results, explain any significant lessons learned from these findings for either the SLAA or others in the LIS field:
Libraries need to promote their resources. During the first cooking class, the librarian brought materials to the session but didn't point them out to participants. The outcome statement “I am more aware of applicable resources and services provided at our library” had much lower overall scores at that class than in any other. For the next session, the library staff prepared a list of resources with cover images as a handout for participants. During this second session, there were more positive outcomes reported on the measure of awareness of library materials and services. The library learned the importance of giving participants a take-away for further review.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort:
No
Do you anticipate any change in the project's scope:
No
Do you anticipate any other changes in the project:
No

Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative

Project Tags: Older adults