Adult Services

Traditional behavioral service models often rely on compliance-driven frameworks that inadvertently perpetuate ableist culture, particularly within adult service systems. This paper outlines an integrated, anti-ableist, and trauma-informed approach to adult behavior services. By recontextualizing the role of the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) from an insular decision-maker to an egalitarian collaborator, this framework addresses the dynamics of interdependence, operationalizes assent, establishes socially valid caregiver systems, and restructures interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings to protect the autonomy and dignity of the individuals supported. Important Notice: This resource is for educational and clinical problem-solving purposes only and does not replace clinical judgment, organizational policies, payer requirements, or state regulations. All recommendations should be implemented collaboratively, documented appropriately, and reviewed by a qualified BCBA in alignment with the BACB Ethics Code. This framework promotes trauma-informed, anti-ableist, and dignity-centered interdisciplinary practices within adult service systems.

Objective: This document presents an anti-ableist, transdiagnostic ABA framework for supporting adults with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD), informed by Dr. Vanessa Tucker's CEU event, Applied Behavior Analysis and Emotional Behavioral Disorders. It translates mental health symptoms into observable behavior, identifies functional variables, and guides the development of socially valid replacement skills while shifting practice from compliance-based models to a collaborative, autonomy-centered approach that emphasizes proactive strategies, de-escalation, and meaningful real-life outcomes.

Margaret E. Monroe (1914–2004) was an influential American librarian and educator who advanced adult library services and library education. Born in New York City, she earned degrees from SUNY Albany (BA, 1936), Columbia University (MA, 1941; PhD, 1954), and began her career at the New York Public Library, serving 13 years in reference and adult education roles.

From 1951–1954, she directed the ALA's American Heritage Project, emphasizing libraries' democratic role during the Cold War. At Rutgers (1954–1963), her 1962 essay "The Library’s Collection in a Time of Crisis" highlighted informed citizenship. As director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Library School (1963–1970) and professor until 1981, she launched a PhD program, researched adult services, and promoted libraries as community learning centers for lifelong education, bibliotherapy, and equity.

A prolific author, Monroe wrote *Library Adult Education: The Biography of an Idea* (1963) and co-edited *Partners for Lifelong Learning* (1991). She led the ALA's Adult Services Division (1964–1965) and contributed to accreditation and associations. Her advocacy for underserved populations earned the 1972 Beta Phi Mu Award, festschrifts (1979, 1982), and the ALA's eponymous award (est. 1985). Inducted posthumously into the Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame (2009), Monroe's vision endures in libraries as transformative agents.

The Adult Services in the Eighties (ASE) Project, initiated by the Services to Adults Committee of the American Library Association’s Reference and Adult Services Division in the mid-1980s, aimed to document the scope and diversity of adult services in U.S. public libraries serving populations of 25,000 or more. Funded by a $5,000 ALA Goal Award and over $15,000 from Louisiana State University, the project, directed by Kathleen M. Heim, surveyed over 8,000 libraries in 1986, receiving more than 4,000 responses. It tested the hypothesis that community-specific planning processes led to diversified services, analyzing data by population size, region, and socioeconomic factors. The resulting book, Adult Services: An Enduring Focus for Public Libraries (1990), edited by Heim and Danny P. Wallace, presents survey findings and essays on topics like lifelong learning, literacy, and services to special groups. A review by Frederick A. Schlipf highlights the project’s significance as the first major survey since 1954, noting its detailed data but critiquing its yes/no survey limitations and the book’s length. The ASE Project underscores public libraries’ evolving role in responding to community needs.

This article examines the evolution of adult services in U.S. public libraries, reflecting shifts in the public library’s mission from national standards to community-specific goals in the 1980s. Historically, public libraries emerged to support education, cultural enrichment, and democratic participation, with adult services developing as a distinct focus as libraries expanded to serve all age groups. The Public Library Inquiry (1950) and subsequent surveys highlighted libraries’ roles in adult education, but debates persisted over targeting specific groups versus broad community service. The adoption of process-driven planning, as outlined in A Planning Process for Public Libraries (1980), emphasized tailored services, leading to hypothesized diversity in adult services. The Adult Services in the Eighties (ASE) Project, funded by an ALA Goal Award, surveyed libraries serving populations over 25,000 to document this diversity. The project aimed to provide a comprehensive view of adult services, informing future planning and policy within the Reference and Adult Services Division. McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. 1986. The Adult Services in the Eighties (ASE) Project was a research initiative undertaken by the Services to Adults Committee of the Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD) of the American Library Association (ALA) in the mid-1980s. Its primary goal was to investigate and document the scope, diversity, and nature of adult services provided by U.S. public libraries during this period, particularly in response to the shift toward community-specific planning processes in library service development. “Adult Services as Reflective of the Changing Role of the Public Library.” RQ 26 (January): 180–87.

This paper examines the historical evolution of adult services within the American Library Association (ALA), tracing its development from the early 20th century to the 1980s. Initially rooted in the adult education movement of the 1920s, adult services emerged as a distinct focus within ALA by the 1940s, driven by initiatives like the Carnegie-funded Commission on the Library and Adult Education. The paper highlights key milestones, including the establishment of the ALA Board on the Library and Adult Education in 1926, the formation of the Adult Services Division (ASD) in 1957, and its eventual merger with the Reference Services Division (RSD) in 1972 to form the Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD). Employing a dialectical framework, McCook analyzes how adult services adapted to societal changes, balancing diverse community needs with evolving library roles. The study underscores the dynamic nature of adult services, shaped by internal contradictions, external funding, and community engagement, and emphasizes the importance of flexible, responsive service models to meet diverse adult clientele needs.

In the fast-paced and increasingly isolated lifestyle of modern Indian cities, the need for human connection and emotional support has grown significantly. While traditional relationships continue to evolve, non-traditional companionship services-particularly through independent professionals-have become a crucial aspect of emotional wellness for many urban individuals. This paper explores the psychology of companionship, emotional intimacy, and ethical adult interaction through the lens of experience-based service.

Libraries often provide important services for community agencies seeking to achieve service integration. Defined as the process by which educational, health, and social services are delivered to improve outcomes for community members, service integration is the means by which the fragmented structure of programs is provided with coordination. In communities where no single coordinating entity exists, libraries, through community information services, often fill this function. By recognizing the long traditions of I&R in libraries and by involvement with other community agencies seeking to implement 2-1-1, a renewal of commitment to community information as a central service response for libraries may well be reaffirmed.


“Service Integration and Libraries: Will 2-1-1 Be the Catalyst for Renewal?"
McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. 2000. “Service Integration and Libraries: Will 2-1-1 Be the Catalyst for Renewal?” Reference & User Services Quarterly 40 (2): 127–30.

The public library is the only institution that provides access to lifelong learning without conditions. A discussion of the role of the library in adult education since the Adult Education Act was passed in 1961 is presented.
McCook, K. de la P. (1992). Where would we be without them? Libraries and adult education activities: 1966-91. RQ, 32, 245–253.

In 1983, the Services to Adults Committee of the Reference and Adult Services Division of the American Library Association (ALA) was awarded a grant to conduct a national survey of adult services in public libraries. The resulting Adult Services in the Eighties (ASE) project was carried out under the direction of Kathleen Heim, now Kathleen Heim McCook, dean of the Graduate School at Louisiana State University.
The ASE survey appears to be the first national survey of its type since Helen Lyman Smith's Adult Education Activities in Public Libraries was published in 1954 (Chicago: American Library Association). The findings of the ASE survey form the underpinnings for this book, which consists of fifteen chapters, each by a different contributor.

Public policies affecting the funding for adult lifelong learning and adult literacy through public libraries have created a framework for service that may be dissonant with the ideals of the transformational value of reading. This article reviews the current context for librarianship and adult lifelong learning and literacy programs in light of federal legislation. Ethical dilemmas of the work first ideology are presented. The librarian's capacity to foster an attitude of creation and recreation is presented. The role of education for librarianship in preparing graduates to understand the philosophical context of work with adult lifelong learners is addressed.

McCook, Kathleen de la Peña, and Peggy Barber. “Public Policy as a Factor Influencing Adult Lifelong Learning, Adult Literacy and Public Libraries.” Reference and user services quarterly 42.1 (2002): 66–75.

In 1929 the average life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome was approximately 9 years. Now it is approximately 45. For the first time in history large numbers of individuals who are among the lowest intellectually functioning 1-2% of a naturally distributed population are outliving their parents (Khan, 2015). This reality is placing substantial pressures on family members, legislators, school and adult service personnel and taxpayers. As none are capable of surviving or thriving without the direct and sustained assistance of those without disabilities, a critical question becomes: What do we do with or for them? Brown & Knollman (2011) articulated 5 of many possibilities. The latter is endorsed here. We could kill them and harvest their organs, cells and other parts of their bodies and give them to those more valued. We could require the prenatal testing of all pregnant women and abort fetuses with undesired characteristics. We could deny or terminate all the supportive services they need to survive after birth. We could isolate them in segregated public and private "institutions."

In 1929 the average life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome was approximately 9 years. Now it is approximately 45. For the first time in history large numbers of individuals who are among the lowest intellectually functioning 1-2% of a naturally distributed population are outliving their parents (Khan, 2015). This reality is placing substantial pressures on family members, legislators, school and adult service personnel and taxpayers. As none are capable of surviving or thriving without the direct and sustained assistance of those without disabilities, a critical question becomes: What do we do with or for them? Brown & Knollman (2011) articulated 5 of many possibilities. The latter is endorsed here. We could kill them and harvest their organs, cells and other parts of their bodies and give them to those more valued. We could require the prenatal testing of all pregnant women and abort fetuses with undesired characteristics. We could deny or terminate all the supportive services they need to survive after birth. We could isolate them in segregated public and private "institutions."