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Lifelong learning programs to begin at library

By Sabrina Cardin

The Daily News of Newburyport (Massachusetts)

December 17, 2008

AMESBURY — The perfect library is a place to curl up with a book, let your mind drift and enjoy learning, believes Patty DiTullio, who has been assistant director for a year and a half at the Amesbury Public Library. Children, teens and adults alike should all be able to indulge in the amenities.

After careful contemplation and watching Amesbury's population shuffle throughout the library, DiTullio saw that outreach to older citizens was lacking.

"Where we excel in general use, we were falling a little short in programs," she said.

DiTullio and Children's Room assistant Crystal Arnott began searching for grant money to fund new programing last May. In the end, the pair secured a $5,000 federal grant through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners in conjunction with the Library Services and Technology Act and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

"This funding gave us a new and international way to look at adults in town," DiTullio said.

After months of planning, ThinkAhead Amesbury will begin offering adult-based educational programs beginning in January and lasting until June. New programs will include social networking, educational speakers and English as a second language classes.

"The focus of this grant is lifelong learning," DiTullio said.

A kick-off event will be held Jan. 15 at the Amesbury Cultural Council ,and speaker Carol Greenfield will present "Discovering What's Next: ReVitalizing Retirement." Her program will address the baby boomer population and offer retirement adjustment tips.

"There was the option to do large-scale programs, but we really wanted this to be more frequent and more intimate," DiTullio said.

Timing and availability were taken into consideration while deciding upon programs. Beginning in January, adults will be able to access the library after hours to learn about new technology. Without a large computer cluster or an employee dedicated full time to technology, DiTullio said it can be difficult to help answer 100 percent of technology questions during regular hours.

"An after-hours, technology-based program will give us more one-on-one time to answer questions," DiTullio said. "It's hard not being able to reach everyone all day."

Through June, H&R Block will offer a variety of tax-based talks and advice. Monthly discussion groups on controversial movies and documentaries will also be available, encouraging discussion among neighbors.

Prior to scheduling the programs, Ditullio and Arnott each received four days of training on community needs development methods. The training was then used to begin focus groups with 45-plus residents. Both were surprised by the wide variety of concerns.

"The focus groups provided us with a large-scale look at the town in an intimate setting," DiTullio said.

A link to the adult education program guide will be available off the library's Web site soon. Also in the works is the installation of wireless service throughout the library and more public access computers.

"I hope this new initiative shows the public how important we are and helps make us more visible," DiTullio said.