Library CARES Program For Partners
Welcome, Library Partners!
This is the Library Program’s landing page. Here, you can find materials and resources related to the AgeOptions FY2026 Library Program.
FY2026 Program Materials
AgeOptions Resources
Evergreen Items for your Older Adult Display
- Ageism Fact Sheet
- AgeOptions One Pager
- Family Caregiver Support
- Congregate Meal Sites
- Caregiver Resources
- CGVR Outreach Flyer
- Navigating Online Resources for Older Adults (AgeOptions)
- SMP Medicare Card Scam Tip Sheet
- Protect Your Wallet: A Guide to Avoiding Financial Scams
- The Friendship Line (24-hour toll-free hotline providing reassurance, crisis intervention, information, and referrals)
AgeOptions Outreach Programs Information FY 2026
- Outreach programs information packet — Updated October 11, 2024
- Connecting Older Adults with Community-based Resources and Options
- Presentations and workshops: AgeOptions workshops and contact person (as of 5.30.23)
- CRC (Caregiver Resource Center) Overview (as of 12.12.23)
- Uniper Care Program (virtual senior center)
- Health Promotion Workshops
- Recording of Health Promotion Programs Informational Session
- To watch this recording, please enter the passcode: Yi=bg3gk
- Slides from August 23, 2022 Session
- SMP click here
- SNAP/Benefits click here
- Dementia Friends, click here
- Aging and Disability Resource Network (ADRN) click here
AgeOptions and Our Community Partners
- To search for services based on the client’s location, click here.
- Aging and Disability Resource Network (ADRNs) and TCLIPS, click here.
- Caregiver Resource Centers (CRCs), click here.
- Click here for a quick reference guide for library Townships and ADRN Contacts.
- To find the ADRN for Your Community, click here.
SAM (System Award Management) Renewal
Reporting documents and materials:
- FY26 Library CARES Work Plan
- Library Program FY26 Quarterly Reporting Form Template (as of September 23, 2025)
- Library Program Evaluation Survey for FY26
- Instruction Document
- Link to Survey
- Paper Copy (Updated as of xx.xx.xx)
- Video and Slides from the March 18, 2025, Q2 FY25 meeting
- Slides and Notes from the June 17, 2025, Q3 FY25 meeting
- Video
- Slides
- Slides and Notes from the September 16, 2025, Q4 F25 meeting
- Northstar Training #1 October 28, 2025
- Slides
- Video
- http://bit.ly/4nIgRoZ
- Passcode: ^J95d%WO
- QR Code to view Video
- Library CARES FY25 Kick-Off Meeting October 28, 2025
- Northstar Training #2 November 18, 2025
- Northstar Training #3 December 9, 2025
- Slides
- Video
Click here to view quarterly calendars (Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4) for mandatory partner meetings, a breakdown of the quarters in our grant year, and reporting due dates in FY2026.
SAM (System Award Management) Application or Renewal
Learn how to apply for or renew your SAM (System Award Management) registration here.
- A Quick Guide to Finding Your SAM UEI and Expiration Date
- What documentation do I need to validate my entity?
- Contact for SAM registration or renewal assistance: click here
- Chris Hollingsworth, Director, Illinois APEX Accelerator at The Joseph Center® can be reached at chollingsworth@jbs.edu
Helpful Resources
Aging
- Universal Design in Intergenerational Programming Toolkit– eliminating ageism and ableism (December 2024)
- Reframing Aging Website
- Reframing Aging Resources
- Ageism Awareness Day, October 9, 2025
- American Society on Aging — Age-Friendly Communication Guide (October 2025)
- Pratt Institute Libraries LibGuides Inclusive Language (August 2025)
- Age Positive Communication Toolkit, Office for Aging Well, SA Health (March 2024)
Dementia Resources
- Dementia Inclusive Public Library Guide — Ohio Council for Cognitive Health
- Dementia Friendly Homes Guide — Ohio Council for Cognitive Health
- NCOA Fraud and Scams: The Top Five Financial Scams Targeting Older Adults, (Feb 2025)
- Serving Patrons with Dementia and their Caregivers at the Library, Webinar Video link, LACONI, March 13, 2024
- Making Dementia Friendly Libraries — Programming Librarian (June 25, 2025)
- Library Services for Patrons with Alzheimer’s/Dementia, ALA
- Alzheimer’s Association Community Education Program Menu as of June 2024
Falls Prevention Toolkit September 22-26, 2025
Food and Nutrition
- Public-Librarianship-and-Food-Justice-Report (December 3, 2024)
- Congregate Meal Sites (AgeOptions-Funded FY26)
- Nutrition Site (AgeOptions-Funded) Detailed List
- Chicago and Suburban Cook County Food Pantries (as of 12.03.24)
- Greater Chicago Food Depository
- Cook County Sheriff’s Office Cook County Emergency Food Pantries
Libraries are for Everyone
- Little Bits of Library Kindness
- See the newest LAFE printables with Older Adults!
Movies about Aging and Elderhood (Updated November 1, 2024)
- Terra Nova Films On-Demand Collection
- 150+ Films on Aging and Elderhood (printable and clickable list of films on Aging and Elderhood)
Older Americans Month
- Older Americans Month — Powered by Connection May 2024
- Older Americans Month — Flip the Script on Aging May 2025
Partner Resources
- RUSA ALA Best Practices: Guidelines for Library Services with 60+ Audience
- FY2026 List of Library Partners and Contact Information (Updated as of 11.03.2025)
- Library Program’s FY26 Purpose Statement
Tax Assistance
- Tax Assistance for Older Adults 2025
- Ladder Up Tax Assistance for Older Adults FREE Tax Preparation of Federal and State Income Tax Returns for Illinois Residents earning up to $67,000 per year, $35,000 for individuals (as of November 6, 2024)
- IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) — VITA/TCE Locator Tool (as of 11.06.2024)
- Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze “Senior Freeze” (Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer’s Office, as of 11.06.2024)
- The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Locator is NOT yet available for the 2025-2026 tax year. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide offers free tax assistance to anyone, with a particular focus on taxpayers aged 50 and older who have low to moderate incomes. You don’t need to be an AARP member to use the service.
Technology
- Public Library Association. 2025. Expanding Possibilities: Public Libraries and Adult Learning—Insights and Innovations from the Field.
- Digital Resources for Aging Adults (12.18.2024, Digital Navigation Webinar, Centralina AAA)
- Tapping Into Technology to Stay Connected and Engaged
- Implementing Hybrid Programs: Best Practices (December 2022)
- Guiding Older Adults to Avoid Online Scams — NCOA Slides July 13, 2023
- Navigating Online Resources for Older Adults (AgeOptions)
- Online Safety for Older Adults (August 2023)
- Resources and Strategies to Protect Older Adults from Fraud and Scams June 4, 2025
- Consumer Protection Basics for Librarians FTC Consumer Advice
- Northstar Digital Literacy Platform — AgeOptions Location
Transportation
Unhoused Patrons
- Warming Centers Available Across Cook County During Periods of Extreme Cold (as of 12.03.2024)
- Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness
- Housing Action Illinois
University of Illinois Extension
- Healthy Living Courses — December 10, 2024
Check out the Library Program page on the AgeOptions website here.
Posted on October 12, 2021