Please meet Kayla Kuni, IGARD’s Member of the Month for March/April!
What is your position at Pasco-Hernando State College in New Port Richey, FL? How long have you worked
there? Did you have any previous library positions?
I am a librarian with PHSC at the Spring Hill campus. I have been here since June 2018. Prior to working here I
worked at the New Port Richey Public Library from 2013-2018.
You are a Co-Chair Elect for our Interest Group. How did you get involved with IGARD? What do you see
as the future for IGARD?
I got involved in IGARD because I was doing outreach at my public library. I see the future of this group as one that
involves reaching out to public librarians that are doing outreach and adult services. Many people don't know
how to approach programming for those experiencing Alzheimer's and dementia; this group provides some
excellent resources.
I understand that you are working toward an MBA. Do you have plans to integrate libraries and business
in your future endeavors?
Yes, I do! I think libraries are already doing a lot for their local business communities, but the businesses don't
always know about it. For example, card holders at my former library had access to Lynda.com. I heavily promoted
this resource to the business owners I knew through my Chamber involvement. I found that many business
owners were excited to get library cards so that their staff could pursue professional development opportunities
that small business owners cannot otherwise afford to send their teams to experience.
Please tell us about the volunteer activities that you are currently undertaking.
I volunteer within my local community through organizations like Habitat for Humanity as well as the Lighthouse for
the Visually Impaired and Blind. I have volunteered for a few years to help with a prom for visually impaired teens;
we think it might be the only prom of its kind in the state since we have teens from other Lighthouses coming from
many miles away to attend. This coming week we will have the annual beeping Easter egg hunt for blind and
visually impaired children. I have also volunteered through the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce's Young
Professional Group, which I will be chair of next year. Professionally, I volunteer with other committees through
the American Library Association as well as the Florida Library Association.
What do you see as the future role for libraries in serving those living with dementia? How can IGARD
help to make these ideas a reality?
The future of serving those with dementia is promising because there are examples for libraries to look to. There
are programming suggestions that have been developed by organizations like IGARD as well as IFLA.
The numbers that we see are staggering and they suggest that a large portion of our population will experience,
or currently experiences, Alzheimer's or dementia. If we don't recognize the numbers, and begin to plan for how
we serve this large population of people, we will not fulfill our missions. However, I feel that there has been so
much done already and librarians and staff members seem excited to learn about how the library can better
serve those living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
Are there any other thoughts that you would like to share with us?
I have seen a lot of people join a group and then back out because they didn't understand the point or they
couldn't attend meetings. I hope that anyone out there reading this considers joining IGARD and reaching
out to us about what you want to see and what you want to know. Organizations that are unwilling to be
flexible are ones that tend not to succeed because they fail to recognize that goals and needs change. IGARD
is an amazing group of people who want to create conversation about library services for those experiencing
Alzheimer's and dementia, as well as those that care for loved ones who are living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
Please consider sharing what your library is going for this population and what kinds of resources you
wish were out there.
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