How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities - Pew Internet

How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities
Pew Internet: 12.11.2013 by Kathryn Zickuhr, Lee Rainie, Kristen Purcell and Maeve Duggan

Americans strongly value the role of public libraries in their communities, both for providing access to materials and resources and for promoting literacy and improving the overall quality of life. Most Americans say they have only had positive experiences at public libraries, and value a range of library resources and services.

•95% of Americans ages 16 and older agree that the materials and resources available at public libraries play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed;

•95% say that public libraries are important because they promote literacy and a love of reading;

•94% say that having a public library improves the quality of life in a community;

•81% say that public libraries provide many services people would have a hard time finding elsewhere.

•Just 34% of Americans ages 16 and older of say that public libraries have not done a good job keeping up with new technologies, while 55% disagree.

•52% of Americans say that people do not need public libraries as much as they used to because they can find most information on their own, while 46% disagreed.  READ MORE !

This report is part of a larger research effort by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project that is exploring the role libraries play in people’s lives and in their communities. The research is underwritten by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.