From Awareness to Funding: Voter Perceptions and Support of Public Libraries in 2018 :: OCLC

From Awareness to Funding: Voter Perceptions and Support of Public Libraries in 2018

OCLC: 2018

In 2008, OCLC published From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America,¹ a national study of the awareness, attitudes, and underlying motivations among US voters for supporting library funding.

The research, which was led by OCLC with funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and conducted by Leo Burnett USA, dispelled longheld assumptions and provided eye-opening insights about who supports public library funding and for what reasons.

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A decade later, OCLC has partnered with the American Library Association (ALA) and its Public Library Association (PLA) division to investigate current perceptions and support among US voters and how they may have shifted in the intervening years. The partners re-engaged Leo Burnett USA and revisited the survey instrument used in the original research.

Voter Perceptions and Support for Public Libraries Today: Key Overall Results

A majority of US voters value public libraries.

Analysis shows that 55% of voters² view the public library as an essential local institution, and 53% as a source of community pride. Fifty-eight percent (58%) feel that public libraries advance education, and 51% believe libraries enhance the quality of life of any community.

About half (49%) of voters agree that the public library remains an invaluable community resource, even in the Internet age. Over a quarter (27%) see the Internet as a suitable equivalent to libraries as an information source, and only 19% agree that bookstores or online retailers are an easier source for books. Just 13% question the necessity of libraries at all in the Internet age.

Voters frequently visit the library. Seventy percent (70%) of voters have visited the library in person in the past year, an average of 8.6 times. Two-thirds of voters place high importance on foundational library services such as:

• having quiet areas for doing work or research (67%)

• providing free access to books and technology (66%)

• being convenient to get to (66%)

• providing free access to computers and the Internet (65%)

• having a broad range of materials to explore (65%)

 • providing Wi-Fi (64%).

More than half (56%) of voters feel it is important to be able to download a variety of materials via the library’s website; and 52% have accessed their library’s website in the past year, an average of 7.6 times.

OCLC has partnered with the American Library Association (ALA) and its Public Library Association (PLA) division to investigate current perceptions and support among US voters and how they may have shifted since 2008 when OCLC published From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America, a national study of the awareness, attitudes, and underlying motivations among US voters for supporting library funding.  READ MORE >>