Libraries in the Community

Rainie, L. (2013) Libraries + parents = innovation and success. Pew Research Internet Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/06/30/libraries-parents-innovation-and-success/

This presentation highlights the 13 key facts pulled from the Pew Internet’s research on libraries in today’s society. The most important fact is that libraries are indeed important to the community. To be precise, 91% of surveyors agree with this statement, and 76% think that libraries are important to their families. 94% of parents believe that libraries are important for their children. As an educator and a book-lover, this is a huge relief to hear! If parents think that libraries are important for their children, then that means that children are being introduced to the library by their parents. Parents think libraries are important for many reasons. I was excited to see that 84% of parents think the library is important because it promotes the love of reading and books. The fact that most parents find the love of reading important tells me that they are encouraging their children to read. This gives me hope for the future! Coming in closely behind the love of reading, parents also think the library is important because it provides resources not available at home and it is a safe place for children to be. When asked what services are most important that are offered by the library, borrowing books and free access to the computers were the two main contenders. 77% of surveyors said that free access to computers and Internet in most important. This seems to go hand and hand with the fact that patrons believe that the library provides resources that are not available at home. Although many print materials are available in the library that are not available in most homes, it is also highly valuable to have free access to the Internet if a family does not have a computer at home. Especially these days when most students are required to do or submit work online, it is nice to have a place like the public library where students can go to guarantee access to the Internet.

I enjoyed reading the reasons why people tend to frequent the library more often. Having grandchildren was at the top of this list. I think grandparents find it important to take their grandchildren to the library, because it may be where they spent a lot of time as a child and they may have good memories of going as a child. They want to give their grandchildren that same opportunity. Other reasons people increase their frequency in visiting the library include research purposes, to borrow books, to use the computer and/or Internet, and to study.

I loved the part where this presentation said that people like librarians! As someone studying to be a librarian, this makes me feel good! I always think people view the librarian as the “shusher” or the nerdy old lady with a bun, glasses, and her nose in a book. I like to hear that 98% of surveyors who visit the library have had positive interactions with their librarians. That’s awesome!

It was not surprising to read that among library users, parents do more library activities than others. This includes activities such as browsing the shelves, borrowing books, attending classes and events for children, borrowing movies, and using the computers and/or Internet. Even borrowing e-books is more common with parent patrons. 29% of the parents surveyed have read an e-book in the past year and over 60% of them own an e-book reader or a tablet. Parents are also most interested in more tech services being offered by the library. For examples, parents are interested in see an “Ask the Librarian” online service and a cell phone application for smart phones where they can access the library. I thought it was interesting, but not surprising, that mothers are more influential in library involvement than fathers. More mothers (than fathers) own library cards, visit the library, visit the website for the library, and use the computers at the library. This probably has a great deal to do with the fact that many mothers stay home with their children during the day, freeing them up to visit the library during daytime hours.

I loved reading that the public wants the library to be more engaged in education. Coordinating with local schools and offering free literacy programs are just two great suggestions that were offered as ways to get the library more involved in the educational lives of the children in the community. Sadly, I learned in this presentation, that only 22% of surveyors knew all or more of the services offered by their library. That is not enough people! As librarians, we need to be proactive in getting the public engaged in the library and aware of the services that it offers. 31% of people knew nothing or almost nothing about what the library has to offer. That is way too many people who are clueless about the library! The good news is, however, that reading is alive and well! It was relieving to see that 90% of older teens have read a book in the last year and that 85% of teens have read a PRINT book. Although many believe it, print books are not going away and they are not antiquated. Technology does also aid in the engagement of teen readers though…with 25% of older teens having read an e-book in the past year and 16% an audiobook. What I loved most about all of these statistics was that 58% of parents with children under six years of age read to them every day! And 50% pf parents with children under age 12 read to them every day. That is amazing! I know that it is hard to find time to read with your child every day, so I commend the half of these parents that finds it important enough to do every day. That says a lot about their priorities and their desire to create a love of reading within their children. As long as this enthusiasm for the library remains, then the library is here to stay!

Mining PEW – 19 pages (127 total)