Hi all. I know I’ve been a little lax on the posting lately and I apologize. My lovely grandmother died and I’m off to St. Louis for the funeral this weekend. She was awesome and will be very missed.
But I don’t want your library-loving brains to go to mush while I’m gone, check out this report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project about library usage in a digital age. There is lots of fun stuff in here: 91% of Americans say libraries are important to communities; 53% of Americans used a library building (or bookmobile!!!) in the last year; yet only 22% of those surveyed say they know all of what their library provides. So there is still work to be done on the outreach and teaching part for librarians. That’s good for me; I like job security. 🙂
Finally, here’s another view of librarians, from Leslie Knope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS8r6zQs62I
I’m very sorry for your loss.
Thanks for the link to the Pew report. I’m looking forward to reading it. My impression is that libraries will continue to play a vital role in increasing access to literature and other reading material in the digital age (in addition to the role they play in facilitating social interactions and a sense of community). I am in a city that has seen a lot of libraries close, usually in the neighborhoods that need them the most. It’s sad, and I hope the trend will reverse soon.
I’m sorry that libraries in your city have been closed. That’s a bad thing for the community and hopefully city leaders will realize it and try to get them re-opened!