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Adult Library Services
Adult services is a wide-ranging area of library work. Your community of users - the ones you have, the ones you will have, and the ones you can have - will differ from one library to the next and one year to the next.
Across Colorado, public libraries strive to serve adults to address their varying and diverse needs as well as to the aspirations that may enrich their lives as individuals as well as their communities. In 2025, Colorado State Library published Adult Services in Colorado Libraries: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How," Dr. Noah Lenstra for Colorado State Library 2025 (PDF). This report began as a study on what Adult Services looks like across our state's public libraries, hoping to identify areas of success that can be amplified and where opportunities exist to either create or expand.
In addition to capturing foundational information on what Colorado’s public libraries do to serve adults, the survey also documented opportunities, including the need and/or desire for:
- Better support for intergenerational programs and services, which often are provided without an intentional focus on connecting generations and age groups together
- Better support for new adults (e.g., those in their early 20’s), individuals and communities new to the United States or to Colorado, and adults with disabilities
- Better support for small and tiny libraries, who sought help with funding and staffing at a rate greater than their more urban counterparts
- Better support urban and suburban libraries, who sought help assessing impact and tailoring programs and services at a rate greater than their smaller counterparts
- Better connection between Colorado’s public libraries and other state agencies and initiatives, which is especially important given the interest among Colorado’s public libraries to support patron access to government services and initiatives available to them
- Better support for librarians who want to ensure that the robust and valuable services they offer for adults across Colorado are robustly utilized
This report showed that Colorado’s public libraries – of all sizes – are doing critical work to support adults of all types. With more support and connections these services will continue to grow, develop, and thrive (Lenstra, 2025, pp. 7-8).
To that end, libraries may find resources on this page and through the various offices of the Colorado State Library. Below are some broad topics under which there are resources for learning about some adults and how to meet some of their needs relevant to those themes.
For more information, contact the Colorado State Library at 303-866-6900, or send us an email.
- Community Needs and Population Data
- Programming
- Aging and Older Adults
- Workforce, Job and Career Development
- Taxes and Financial Health
- Health and Wellness
- Adult Literacy and Education
- Books and Readers' Advisory
- Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction