What is a librarian to do with herself once she retires? Transform a collection of books into a circulating library for her residence, of course!

Dorothy Johnson, a former librarian at the Strathcona County Library, did just that in her adult-only condominium in Sherwood Park. In addition to her own personal book collection, the materials in The Sierras’ selection were donated by residents of the building who had previously-read books lying about, and recognized they would be more useful if they could be shared.

The books, both fiction and nonfiction, have been sorted and labelled for easy use. Most of the materials have tags that resemble the ones on library editions and are colour coded by genre. The library has grown quite a bit from its earlier days, and some of the newer books have not been incorporated into this organizational system, but the collection still looks well taken care of; sections seem to be properly stocked and there is an empty bin near the entrance in which users are invited--via a typed note--to leave books they have borrowed to be re-shelved in their proper place.

I talk with my grandma about the collection, and she says it seems less people use it now, favouring ebooks instead. Ebooks allow senior citizens to read anything they want in large print. My grandma says she uses the collection sometimes, but mostly buys the books she reads--they’re more current that way. She does, though, intend to donate her used books to the library, illustrating another instance of libraries as a recycling venue. The library space, while regularly browsed, is mostly used for residents making puzzles or playing card games.

The library has plenty of welcoming seating: three comfy armchairs and two couches, as well as a dining room set. A small kitchenette adjoins it. The books are sorted into hardcover and softcover sections (my grandma says seniors often opt for hardcovers because they have larger print) and then further sorted into genre: fiction--about two-thirds of the collection--on top, and nonfiction on the bottom.

Sections of nonfiction include Biographies, Alberta History, Canadian History, General History, Health and Well-Being, and Miscellaneous (mostly travel books overtaken by the romance novels that sit above). Fiction is unsorted by genre with the exception of a section of romance paperbacks. There are many volumes of John Grisham and Danielle Steele bestsellers leading the charge among a fiction selection, mostly dominated by genre fiction paperbacks. Lastly, there is a shelf labelled "Current Magazines" that contains only two items, and neither current. Obviously, magazines are not something that the residents consider worth sharing, or else they do not read them.

Comparing the library collection to my grandma’s own personal library reveals general similarities; I think it is safe to say that the Sierras’ library is an excellent reflection of the popular reading habits of a senior demographic.

In addition to using the library, many of the residents also participate in a monthly book club, arranged by Dorothy and using book club kits checked out of Strathcona County Library. In a way, this simulates library programming, allowing less mobile residents to still have access to a community of like-minded readers. As essentially a storage space for donated materials, the condo library is more of an archive of what has previously been read than evidence of what is constantly circulating. From speaking to my grandma, it appears that seniors are more interested in seeking out the newest in a particular genre than attempting to read specific key books that have been pinpointed as edifying or inherently valuable. I think this may relate to being “up-to-date” in order to converse with other readers about the latest thriller/mystery/suspense novel. Libraries, after all, are all about providing a way to reach out to a community.

Last Updated: Dec 22, 2016