Library Service to Patrons with Dementia

Presenter Info

Christine Johnson

Christine Johnson is the director of the Waterford Public Library in Waterford, CT. Chris has been a member of the leadership team of ALA’s Library Services for Patrons with Dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease (LSDA) since 2020. Like many librarians, her interest in better serving this growing population was inspired by the six years that she spent as a caregiver for her mother who died from Alzheimer’s Disease in 2021. Chris currently runs a weekly Memory Cafe program in partnership with Waterford Senior Services. Chris also serves as the current board chair of the Connecticut Library Consortium.

David Kelsey

David Kelsey is the outreach services librarian at the St. Charles Public Library in St. Charles, IL, where he coordinates the department’s services and programs. David served for seven years on the Board of Directors for the national Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services, serving as the 2021 President. David has spearheaded outreach interest networking groups for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System, System Wide Automated Network, and Library Integrated Network Consortium. He was a 2021 Library Journal “Mover & Shaker” and a 2017 ALA Emerging Leader as well as is the recipient of the 2018 ILA Alexander J. Skrzypek Award, the 2018 ASGCLA Exceptional Service Award, the 2019 ABOS John Philip Excellence in Outreach Award, and 2021 RUSA Francis Joseph Campbell Award.

Susan Ostrowski

Susan holds an MA in Remedial Reading and an MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Columbia University, NYC. 

With years of experience working in senior care, Susan co-created Reading2Connect®, an organization devoted to bringing back the joy of reading to adults living with dementia.

Writing on the relationship between reading and dementia, Susan has contributed to the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Perspectives Journal and the Thieme Medical Publishers Communication Sciences Case Study textbook. 

Susan has received awards from the Mather Institute “Promising Practices,” The Beryl Institute Patient Experience, Dementia Society of America “SMART” Award, and the ASHA Clinical Achievement and Innovator Awards.