Abstract: With the acceleration of social development and aging process, the spiritual and cultural needs of elderly populations have become increasingly prominent, making reading an essential component. Understanding the reading needs of elderly readers is helpful for optimizing public cultural services and promoting the in-depth development of reading among the elderly. The borrowing data of elderly readers from libraries in various districts of Shanghai in 2019 was used as a reference. The BERTopic model was employed to conduct topic clustering, and the reading needs of elderly readers were summarized based on the ERG theory. Statistical analysis was carried out on the reading needs of elderly readers across different genders and age groups. The study revealed that elderly readers exhibit diverse reading interests, contrary to traditional stereotypes, covering health and wellness, literature, history, and other themes. Gender significantly influences reading preferences: male seniors tend to read books that satisfy growth-related needs, while female seniors prioritize relationship-focused content. Age shows minimal impact, with relationship-themed reading consistently dominating across all age groups, whereas survival-oriented reading remains relatively low across three age brackets. The research shows that the promotion of reading for the silver age should adhere to a positive view of aging and pay more attention to the life value of elderly readers.