The Boomers: Reflecting, Sharing, Learning
Author Offers Insights into Engaging Baby Boomers, May 15 at 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, 07 May 2013 13:50
"Boomers will not go quietly into the night, sitting on their rocking chairs sipping lemonade. They will stay bright, engaged, focused and, as needed, vocal, as they maintain vitality for decades to come." --From author Matt Thornhill's Boomer Consumer
Matt Thornhill, author of Boomer Consumer and Age Ready, will present an interactive program on Wednesday, May 15, 6 p.m. at the Athens-Clarke County Library in the Appleton Auditorium. The program is free and open to the public.
Thornhill studied the research of psychologist, gerontologists, physicians, sociologist, and marketing researchers to put together an interesting and entertaining book for helping non-profits and businesses alike engage the 50 plus crowd. He cautions that the former age 18 to 49 gold mine for marketers has aged and moved on to new stages in life. This cohort, he claims, is the largest, wealthiest, healthiest and best educated group ever to reach mature adulthood. Paying attention to the generation's characteristics will have big rewards.
The author pairs some of the research of Dr. Gene Cohen, the geriatric psychiatrist who championed the idea that people past retirement age have untapped stores of creativity and rigorous intellectual skills in later years, with the common defining experiences of the Boomer generation to help the reader think twice about traditional "senior" approaches to marketing and programming.
Thornhill comes at the invitation of the Athens Regional Library System and Lyndon House Arts Center through a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. The grant project, The Boomers: Reflecting, Sharing, Learning, explores ways to engage Baby Boomers in these institutions as they begin to have more discretionary time.
Richie Havens, A Friend Forever
Wednesday, 24 April 2013 11:16
Richie Havens will be missed and remembered in Athens, GA. Back in 1994 he generously gave two concerts at the Georgia Theater to raise money for the Lyndon House Arts Foundation back in the days when Lyndon House Arts Center was bursting at the seams and needed to expand. Thanks to Richie and other local musicians, the Foundation raised enough money to acquire an architect's schematic drawing, which was instrumental in putting the arts center expansion on the SPLOST ballot and ultimately a fabulous arts center for the Community.
He returned in September, 2000, for another concert to celebrate the first year's operation of the newly expanded arts center with a concert at the Morton Theater. This raised funds for the new building's sound system.
In fact he visited whenever he could. He liked the arts center because he was a visual artist himself, and some of his works were exhibited in a show called "Traveler" in 2000. He especially liked that Lyndon House had classes and programs for children.
He visited the Tuesday Afternoon Art Club at Lyndon House to give an art lesson for a few children from Thomas Lay Park. They knew instinctively he was someone special. They listened to his every word as he instructed them to braid. He threw in some philosophy of life as they worked. Now in their late teens or early 20's, it would be interesting to know if some remembered that magical afternoon when Richie Havens captivated them as he did his many audiences world wide.
He returned another time for a dinner given in his honor by the Lyndon House Arts Foundation. They presented him with a commemorative plate designed by glass artist Paul Bendzunas.
He signed his autographs "a friend forever." We will miss our friend and great supporter Richie Havens.
ACC Library Begins a New Chapter
Wednesday, 17 April 2013 15:09
"Buildings change, faces change, but libraries remain much the same," began Kathryn Ames, Director of the Athens Regional Library System in Starting a New Chapter. Certainly the library has changed significantly from its beginning in 1913 with one room, 500 books and 200 readers. Today's new library has over 83,000 square feet, 200,000 books, over 66,000 readers, about 100 computers, and loads of video and audio resources. But the new library today still works to match people with the information they need just as the early libraries did--the people and the times have changed!
One library patron noted in the Thanks for the Memories project that "Librarians were the original computers." Maybe things haven't changed as much as we thought.
Director Ames and librarians Donna Brumby, Trudi Green and Sarah Reynolds offered a virtual tour of
various parts of our library spaces during this program. While it won't match your own actual exploration, you can see the study and meeting areas, the children's area, the interest centers, the cyber room, the special collections, the Heritage room, and some of the expensive equipment residents of Athens-Clarke County can use for free.
Many of today's programs had their roots in the early libraries: book clubs and children's story times
have been going on since the library began, only now we have them in spades! The library began outreach by providing books to people in the hospital, but outreach is extended now to Meals on Wheels and services for people without sight and many more.
The new library is a welcoming place, a place where everyone belongs, and all set for a couple of decades as a place to learn, exchange ideas or just enjoy.
Page 1 of 24
