The FINANCIAL — Most Americans feel that public libraries have done a good job embracing new technology, but are split on whether libraries are as essential as they were in the past for finding information, according to The Pew Research Center.
In a larger sense, Americans strongly value the role of public libraries in their communities, both for providing access to materials and resources and for improving the overall quality of life in their communities. Many library resources are particularly valued by those who are unemployed, retired, or searching for a job, as well as those living with a disability and internet users who lack home internet access.
By a 55%-34% margin, Americans say they think public libraries have kept up with technological change. And at a time when three in ten adults in the U.S. lack a home broadband connection, including 15% who don’t use the internet at all, almost half Americans say public libraries are still as important as they used to be for accessing information: 52% of Americans said that people do not need libraries as much as they used to because they can find most information on their own, but 46% disagreed with that statement. In addition:
95% of Americans agree that the materials and resources available at public libraries play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed.
81% of Americans ages 16 and older say that public libraries provide many services people would have a hard time finding elsewhere.
The survey also found that while the percentage of Americans who have recently visited a public library in person decreased slightly, the proportion who have used a library website in the past year has increased:
48% of Americans have visited a library or bookmobile in person in the past year, down from 53% in November 2012.
30% of Americans have visited a library website in the past year, up from 25% in 2012.
Taken together, this means that 54% of Americans have used a public library in the past year, down from 59% in 2012.
As in previous surveys, Americans say that public libraries are important not only to themselves and their families, but also to their wider communities, according to The Pew Research Center.
Some 90% of Americans ages 16 and older said that the closing of their local public library would have an impact on their community, with 63% saying it would have a “major” impact. Responding to a separate question, 94% of Americans said that having a public library improves the quality of life in a community.
Asked about the personal impact of a public library closing, two-thirds (67%) of Americans said it would affect them and their families, including 29% who said it would have a major impact.
Americans are most likely to say they strongly value having access to books and media; having a quiet, safe place to spend time, read, or study; and having librarians to help people find information. Other services, such as assistance finding and applying for jobs, are more important to particular groups, including those with lower levels of education or household income.
Libraries are also particularly valued by those who are unemployed, retired, or searching for a job, as well as those living with a disability and internet users who lack home internet access:
56% of Americans who use the internet but lack a connection at home say access to library computers, internet, and printers is “very important” to them and their families, compared with 33% of all respondents.
49% of unemployed and retired respondents say they consider librarian assistance in finding information to be “very important,” vs 41% of employed respondents.
47% of job seekers say the assistance they receive at libraries in finding or applying for a job is “very important” to them and their families.
40% of those living with a disability say the assistance they receive at libraries in applying for government services is “very important,” vs 27% of those without a disability.
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