Just when you thought that nobody used libraries anymore because they were too busy with Google, the ALA announced its latest survey on public library use (www.ala.org/ala/ors/reports/2006KRCReport.pdf). The data are intriguing:
135 million adult Americans visited the library last year.
2/3 of the US adult population has a library card
7/10 users are highly satisfied with the service they received
6/10 people use the internet or computer when visiting the library
9/10 believe the library has a future in the digital age
All positive stuff but the report does contain the actual questions used and one might be forgiven for finding them a little leading. Clearly, the most common purpose for ever going to a library is ‘educational’ (32%), which reminds me of those studies on what people watched on TV which showed that we all watched PBS documentaries, all night! Everyone loves the fact that the library is ‘free’ but there are some oddities: 81% people who visit the library go to check out books but only 38% take out videos or DVDs. Amazingly, more than half of library users go there to consult with librarians, which is pretty surprising to us in Texas since many public libraries don’t even have a qualified librarian on staff (let’s not get into the Cuban variant on that please). Reading the questions as asked one gets the feeling that this survey would have benefited from a few alternative wordings to avoid the halo agreement effects that might be at work here.
I must really go to an odd branch because when I visit, the computer terminals are full, the stacks are empty and I hardly ever meet any members of the adult population whom I know. Luckily, more than half of those asked believed funding for public libraries should be increased from its paltry levels (about $25 per year per person in local tax support) to more than $40, which would make a difference. Though not mentioned in this report – the majority of public libraries in this country have an annual budget of less than $50 000 – not much scope for staff, collections and new DVD’s there (no wonder so few people take them out). Wouldn’t you think this service was good under the circumstances? I think it is close to miraculous. For a look at the ‘return on investment’ provided by public libraries see: http://www.oclc.org/roi/ or for a good overview of some of the financial issues libraries face, try the OCLC Environmental Scan, especially the economics section at: http://www.oclc.org/membership/escan/economic/
In sum, libraries are a national treasure but they are being left to decay by a lack of vision, a lack of investment and a lack of leadership. It will take more than a one-sided survey to change this but it’s clear that most people still care. Turning that goodwill into action is something we might expect from the ALA, just don’t go to their website looking for answers.
A footnote on this: a local TV channel ran a poll to ask people how often they used the local libraries. The responses were enlightening, with 64% of the 800 or so respondents saying “Never” and only 15% using them at least once per month. Compare this to the ALA study which reported that only 32% of respondents had not used the library in a year and, from their scales, about 25% of people used the library once a month or more. Sample sizes were comparable in both surveys but clearly those willing to answer a phone survey are likely to differ in some ways from those responding to a TV poll. That said, it only makes me wish there were some better surveys out there. You can find the TV poll results here: http://www.news8austin.com/shared/poll/?PollID=2643&SecID=220. Take a look at those open ended comments from people too, my favorite is this:
“Why go to the library – it’s full of rude people (staff, loud kids, homeless) ….” Guess we better introduce etiquette classes to the curriculum too 🙂