The iSchool at Illinois is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 74 (2) "Libraries, Library Services, and Persons Living with Dementia." As guest editors Timothy J. Dickey and Sarah McNicol note in their introduction, an estimated fifty-five million people worldwide are living with dementia and that number is expected to increase to 139 million by 2050. A dementia diagnosis has a profound impact not only the person experiencing cognitive decline, but also family, friends, and colleagues. The authors in this issue explore ways libraries can support people living with dementia and their caregivers through social and learning opportunities, resource provision, and reminiscence activities.
This issue is published open access.
On February 3, 2026, Library Trends will host a webinar featuring the latest issue, which will feature the guest editors and select authors.
The table of contents includes:
- "Introduction" by Timothy J. Dickey and Sarah McNicol
- "Examining Courses on Older Adult and Dementia-Friendly Services in North American MLIS Curricula" by Sanda Erdelez, Sanjica Faletar, and Kornelija Petr Balog
- "Rethinking Reminiscence Activities in Libraries" by Sarah McNicol
- "The Carter G. Woodson Regional (Chicago) Public Library: Building Connections for a Dementia-Friendly Community" by Darby Morhardt, Melvin Thompson, and Rebecca Johnson
- "A Library-Based 'Tech Club' for Older Adults Living with Dementia and Their Care Partners: A Codesigned Pilot Project" by Anthea Innes, Mason McLeod, Umniyah Gilani, Kyla J. Kovalik, Constance Dupuis, and Equity Burke
- "Reading: A Nonpharmacological Intervention for Dementia?" by Mary Beth Riedner
- "Reading Well for Dementia: A User-Led Approach to Increasing Accessibility of Health Information Resources for People Affected by Dementia" by Carina Spaulding, Gemma Jolly, and Debbie Hicks
- "Reading for Pleasure: Public Library Dementia-Friendly Book Groups, a Proposal for a Qualitative Linguistic and Thematic Analysis" by B. Sally Rimkeit and Gillian Claridge
Library Trends is an essential tool for professional librarians and educators alike. Each issue explores critical trends in professional librarianship and includes practical applications, thorough analyses, and literature reviews. The journal is published quarterly for the School of Information Sciences by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Subscriptions to current issues are available both online and in print.
Back issues (1952 through two years prior to the current issue) are available online through IDEALS, the digital repository for scholarly works produced at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Please send ideas, inquiries, or issue proposals via email to Melissa Wong, editor in chief, at librarytrends@illinois.edu.