NC LIVE 2024 Annual Conference

Durham County Library’s Adult Services Department is working to raise awareness of an often undervalued or even avoided topic in library programming: death. The presentation will demonstrate how libraries can serve as a resource for community members for the entirety of their lives and work to fulfill the unique information needs that arise as we near the end of our lives. With an aging population, the rising costs of healthcare, funerals, and more, free and equitable access to information regarding estate planning, grief, and other end of life issues is increasingly important. Programming partnerships with local hospice workers, death doulas, law firms, and non-profit organizations can help public libraries enter this conversation and better serve as a resource for the inevitable.