Advanced eCourse: Serving Adult Populations from A to Z

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An ALA Continuing Education and SJSU iSchool Advanced eCourse

Adults are the biggest population in any community and the biggest proportion of library users. But adult services are typically an overlooked area in iSchools and in staff training. In this course, we'll provide explicit instruction on how to assess, serve, and understand the adult community.

In 12 weeks, adult services expert Morgan Pershing will guide you to a comprehensive understanding of the adult community, how to assess your adult library users, and how to build programs and services for your adult community. You’ll also learn about how effective adult services can lead to an expanded patron base and pool of potential advocates when it comes to ballot initiatives or defending library services.

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Identify and engage different adult populations through outreach, programming, and services.
  • Perform a community assessment and comprehend the tools used to inform this exercise.
  • Elucidate what Adult Services means and its importance in a public library setting. 
  • Articulate the importance of designing programs and services supportive of adults.
  • Demonstrate an appreciation of the importance of marketing public library services and materials in an intentional way.
  • Effectively carry out Readers’ Advisory.
  • Discuss various types of programming, outreach, and services appropriate for adults.
  • Identify the unique challenges of working in Adult Services in a public library setting.
  • Demonstrate familiarity with a wide variety of resources regarding programming for adults.
  • Develop skills and methods for identifying appropriate resources and communication channels for service delivery to adults.

Morgan Rose Pershing is currently the Assistive Technology Librarian at the Braille and Talking Books Library in Sacramento, CA. She has served in positions in public libraries from volunteer to management. Morgan has taught for San Jose State University’s iSchool since 2015, where she currently teaches Introduction to Adult Services. Morgan is a career-long advocate of the importance of serving adults and co-founded the Adult Services Symposium which took place from 2016-2020 in California in addition to being the recipient of the California Library Association’s Member of the Year award (2018).

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at  ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.

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