Scott Spencer, who runs the library at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, says his place of work is “unlike any other library I’ve been connected with.” The library, which Spencer describes as a “geriatrics/gerontology library,” subscribes to over 100 aging-related journals and includes a specialized reference and book collection.

Philadelphia Corporation for Aging was founded in response to the 1973 Older Americans Act, which mandated the creation of agencies all over the country that served the needs of older Americans—part of what is known as the “aging network.” Since then, PCA has grown to its current size of 450 employees, with an $80 million budget, that provides a wide variety of services to elders, including meal programs, transportation, senior centers, and home health care.

PCA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for older Philadelphians and adults over 18 with disabilities, and to assist these individuals in achieving maximum levels of health, independence and productivity. The library’s mission is to further the mission of PCA by helping to supply the organization’s and the aging network’s information needs.

Spencer did not enter the library field with the intention of working in a special library. In fact as he says, he “kind of backed into the library profession.” After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a master’s degree in fine arts (which he “couldn’t resist” even though it was “one of the most useless degrees you can possibly get”), he found a job as a circulation clerk at the University of New Haven library. This job, Spencer says, “was a great place to learn about the library field,” because he was able to do “a little bit of everything, even cataloging.”

A few years later, he and his wife moved in with her grandfather, who was 107 years old. Spencer worked in several nonprofit libraries before finding a job at the National Association of School Boards, and was encouraged by Dottie Grey, the librarian there, to attend library school. He earned his MLS degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and soon after, took the job at PCA, where he has been for eight years.

Spencer was mentored by Joyce Post, who headed what is now known as the Polisher Research Library of the Abramson Center for Jewish Life, and was “the best-known librarian in the country in the field of aging.” He says, “I didn’t know anything about the field of aging so I really owe a big debt to Joyce.” An additional challenge Spencer faced when he began the job was that the library had not yet been automated. “The first year I was here, we accomplished some small miracles.” He chose Inmagic Db/Textworks to automate the library, which was able to handle circulation, interlibrary loan, and serials management.

Today, the biggest library service Spencer provides, with the help of a full-time assistant, is its current awareness program. He performs searches every day for news and journal articles in the field of aging and distributes items of interest to PCA’s employees. Is Spencer happy working in such a specialized library? You bet, he says, “this is a great organization to work for.” More information on Philadelphia Corporation for Aging can be found at http://www.pcaphl.org.