With over 17,000
libraries and 2.5 billion materials circulated annually in the United States alone, libraries are a ubiquitous part of the American landscape.
However, as libraries modernize, they face an increasingly harsh budget environment, as well as technological disruption in media, scholarship, and education. The political, social, and technological environment is one of transformation and uncertainty.
As of 2004, U.S. library usage was experiencing growth in spite of predictions to the contrary at that time.
Instead, the impact of technology on libraries has been mixed. While usage of some library services, such as
reference assistance, has declined, there has been a well-documented increase in the usage of
public libraries
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants.
There are five fundamenta ...
in the U.S. and Canada over the last decade.
Most libraries have added services such as
public computers, free
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...
, and digital materials such as web sites and
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
s, leading to higher overall usage of the library. Counties and cities also continue to invest in library infrastructure. , library construction and renovation has remained steady. According to a 2013 survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 54 percent of Americans ages 16 and older have used a public library in some way in the past 12 months.
A similar poll of Britons, conducted in 2010, stated that 67 percent had visited a library within the last year. Public libraries remain very popular among all users, and , younger patrons read and use the library at the same rate as older ones.
Over 94 percent of Americans say that "having a public library improves the quality of life in a community."
At the same time,
public funding of libraries has declined.
While libraries have a positive reputation, it is clear that citizens value other government services over libraries when budgets must be cut. School and academic libraries have also faced both severe budget troubles and declining usage of traditional library services like reference and
interlibrary loan. Budget cuts and closures of publicly funded libraries in the Canada and UK have begun to affect the availability of library services in those countries.
A study conducted in 2014 revealed that number of visits to public libraries had dropped by approximately 12% since 2009, demonstrating the effects of this decline. Library functions, services and usage are changing so rapidly that it is difficult to establish standards or measures of value. As these trends continue or accelerate, the status of libraries is likely to remain dynamic and unclear. Most libraries are moving existing staff into information positions instead of employing new information custodians, making a developing interest for expert improvement opportunities. The scope of expert advancement open doors for bookkeepers to teach themselves in great information rehearses expanded all through 2015 and will keep on developing in 2016, essentially because of two activities. The library has for quite some time been in charge of social affair, arranging, and shielding significant data. Present day research and information accumulation has made some amazing progress from the days libraries were overseeing and getting to probably the most punctual dial-up online databases. Today, advanced information is gathered in such overpowering sums that one of the greatest difficulties lies essentially in investigating the data to discover significant ends in the excess of information. Building up, keeping up, and growing an internet based life nearness is vital for libraries. Gregg Dodd, Director of Marketing at Columbus Metropolitan Library, clarifies the estimation of a computerized procedure obviously, saying, "Our clients live in an advanced world, so this is an imperative space to interface with them."
Classification of Library Trends
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Trends will be organized into seven categories:
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Society
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...
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Technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...
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Education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
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Environmental
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
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Political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
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Economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
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Demographics
Academic libraries
![Centennial College Progress Campus Library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Centennial_College_Progress_Campus_Library.jpg)
College and university libraries are at the center of changes to the library system. Academic libraries must serve groups of users with diverse information needs and research skills. In addition to the structural challenges facing all libraries, academic libraries must also confront a rapidly changing educational and publishing environment, in which the value and cost of a university education is being questioned. A higher demand for accountability means academic libraries must prove their value and the value of the university system.
Several institutions have attempted to assess the impact of academic libraries on student success, but have often struggled with student privacy concerns. The University of Minnesota recently published results of a major study on the impact of library use on student success. The study found that there are statistically relevant data showing first-year undergraduate students who use the library have a higher GPA for their first semester and higher retention from fall to spring than non-library users.
A decline in the use of traditional library services at the university level suggests that students are looking elsewhere for information. A 2005 report from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) stated that between 1995 and 2004, reference requests dropped an average 4.5 percent per year, and book checkouts fell 1.2 percent per year, though this varied depending on the type of academic library.
Master's level libraries saw an increase in research inquires during the same period.
The ARL also documented a decline in reference requests and borrowing between libraries from 2009 to 2011.
In 2007, regarding the issue,
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
Graduate School of Library and Information Science professor Jerome McDonough observed that in terms of undergraduate usage, "We're losing clientele; students may come in the library to study, to socialize, to hit the newly installed cafe designed to lure them in, but they're not using library materials, or library services, at anything like the rate they did even ten years ago."
The increasing costs of access to
academic journals, and the speed with which information resources are growing, suggests that academic libraries will not be able to maintain a traditional lending and accession model for much longer.
Academic libraries are exploring a new model for service delivery, known as "digital commons" and/or "
scholars' commons", that focuses on access, information quality and
information literacy
The Association of College & Research Libraries defines information literacy as a "set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued and the use of inform ...
as opposed to collecting a large number of print books and journals.
Many campus libraries have remodeled their physical facilities in order to attract students, adding computers, cafes, classrooms, outlets and study areas.
[Carlson, Scott]
"As Students Work Online, Reading Rooms Empty Out—Leading Some Campuses to Add Starbucks"
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', 16 November 2001. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
Many libraries are considering offering publishing services to academics under an
open access
Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...
model.
The growing demand for publishing services suggests new roles and responsibilities for academic libraries in the future. The establishment or reestablishment of academic and
university presses
This article lists notable university presses, arranged by country. Associations of university presses are listed afterwards.
Entries on this list should be publishing houses associated with one or more academic institutions and have their own ...
may offer a new economic model for academic libraries. A 2011 survey of member institutions of ARL, the Oberlin Group, and the University Libraries Group found that approximately half of the respondents had or were developing library publishing services.
Copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
issues and technological limitations imposed by
digital rights management
Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM) such as access control technologies can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. ...
are the strongest barriers to this transformation.
With changes on the horizon, the organizations that monitor academic library statistics are seeking new ways to assess value and impact. The Association of Research Libraries will no longer use monograph and serial costs as a metric, since "new data will be collected to more accurately reflect the modern environment of information management."
There is a connection with changes in academic libraries and
Millennials
Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000 ...
, in fact it's the trend that's affecting libraries within the next five to ten years. "Millennials will have a significant impact on future user expectations. Researchers in the field of education are writing about how factors such as technology have a significant impact on how Millennials learn" In a study done with 27 colleges and universities participating, it is revealed that a majority of students, specifically 73 percent, use the library less than the Internet. A couple explanations for this are that it's simply easier to surf the web and they (millennials) are better at surfing the web than a library's catalogue.
In a study conducted by the article's, "Millennials and technology: putting suppositions to the test in an academic library", authors, Pascal Lupien and Randy Oldham, reveal that "our students do use the library in large numbers, and that they appear to understand that they must use a variety of resources, including academic sources, to conduct research".
Public libraries
![Boston Public Library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Boston_Public_Library.jpg)
The picture is somewhat clearer for public libraries, where there have been strong increases in both visits to libraries and the number of books borrowed over the last decade. A survey by the
Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mis ...
(IMLS), the United States federal agency tasked with monitoring library usage, reported a 32.7 percent increase in physical visits between 2001 and 2010.
The
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
also cited a significant increase in usage, with visits increasing 61 percent between 1994 and 2004.
Similar growth was documented in Canada, where overall library usage surged 45 percent between 2000 and 2009, including a 16 percent increase in book borrowing. Even in countries that have documented a decline in the use of public libraries, public support for libraries remains strong. Visits to libraries in the UK have declined 6.7 percent in the past five years, but 80 percent of Britons still view libraries as "essential" or "very important".
Recent growth in public library usage is likely driven by the
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...
, as patrons take advantage of affordable entertainment, internet access, job search assistance and educational resources. According to a 2011 Harris Poll Quorum, library patrons believe their usage of public libraries will remain steady or increase in the future. They report strong satisfaction with library services.
Public library patrons value access to printed books and traditional reference services. Among Americans ages 16 years and older, 80 percent say borrowing books is a "very important" service libraries provide, and 80 percent say reference librarians fall into the same "very important" category.
''
Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' noted a small but marked decrease in print circulation in 2012, and suggested that changing information behavior, an improving economy, budget cuts or some combination of these factors have begun to affect book borrowing.
![Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington - 20060418](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Seattle_Central_Library%2C_Seattle%2C_Washington_-_20060418.jpg)
In recent years, American libraries have also experienced an increase in Federal spending. In March 2018, the US Congress passed a bill that included significant increases in federal spending towards libraries. Part of this new spending bill provides $27 million for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program, and $5.7 million for the Library Services and Technology Act.
Beginning with the digitization of library catalogs between the 1970s and 1990s, libraries have added digital capabilities while continuing to provide traditional book lending and literacy services. , 98 percent of libraries offer free wireless Internet to their patrons; 90 percent offer e-books for borrowing; and 98 percent offer formal or informal technology training.
A large majority of libraries now use some kind of
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, like Facebook or hi5, to connect with patrons.
The assistance of professional library staff is also valued by patrons. Over one-third of people who have ever visited a library say library staff had helped them use a computer or the Internet.
In 2011, more than a quarter of all adults used a library for Internet access at some point. Free access to computers and the Internet is now nearly as important to library patrons as borrowing books. Fifty-five percent of Americans think libraries have done a good job keeping up with technological trends.
Libraries are also offering new recreation, entrepreneurial, and content creation opportunities. Libraries across the United States now lend musical instruments, tools, seeds, science equipment and information technology, like gaming consoles, laptops and e-readers. While media outlets describe this development as part of a struggle to say relevant in a digital age, librarians say it is an extension of the traditional services and programming public libraries offer their communities. In an interview with ''
The Atlantic Wire
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' about the trend, librarian and blogger Rita Meade said, "I think it's great that some libraries are able to lend out items other than books, because it shows that they are responding to the needs of their particular community. But again, I do not see it as a desperate move to stay relevant... We've got relevancy coming out of our ears."
While patrons still value access to printed books, libraries' shift to offering a wide range of digital, educational, social and entrepreneurial tools appears to be permanent. The model is now attracting significant public investment. Libraries are rapidly establishing public
makerspaces
A hackerspace (also referred to as a hacklab, hackspace, or makerspace) is a community-operated, often "not for profit" ( 501(c)(3) in the United States), workspace where people with common interests, such as computers, machining, technology, ...
and workspaces to promote collaboration and entrepreneurship. In 2011, the Fayetteville Free Library in New York state became the first public library to offer a makerspace. Many other libraries, including the
Chicago Public Library and Washington DC's MLK Library now offer
3D printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...
, print presses,
rapid prototyping
Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data.
Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printin ...
and manufacturing services to patrons. In 2014, the L.A. Public Library will begin offering high school diplomas to students. In partnership with the University of Arizona, the Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix, AZ is now offering a
co-working space
Coworking is an arrangement in which workers for different companies share an office space. It allows cost savings and convenience through the use of common infrastructures, such as equipment, utilities and receptionist and custodial services, an ...
and
business incubator
Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture ca ...
. The rise of entrepreneurial and content creation spaces may offer alternative funding models for some public libraries.
The way patrons use library buildings is also changing. Libraries offered 3.75 million public programs in 2010, the equivalent of one free program per day in every public library in America.
Mirroring an increase in overall library usage, attendance at library programs increased by 22 percent between 2004 and 2008. Most public libraries offer classes, literacy programs and storytimes for children. Some public libraries, like the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
, are adopting the "bookstore model", characterized by remodeling in favor of more comfortable and attractive reading and meeting spaces, a broad offering of both bestsellers and literary works, user-friendly organization systems and excellent customer service, often including the elimination of
library fines.
Despite increasing usage, adoption of new technology and strong popularity among voters, public libraries are bearing the brunt of budget cuts, with both
state and municipal support for libraries declining.
As cities and states confront budget shortfalls, libraries are often required to reduce hours, staff and locations. Multimillion-dollar cuts to public libraries are frequently proposed across the country, and libraries in general have faced budget cuts over the last four years.
When explaining the rationale for budget cuts, officials often cite the rise of new technologies and the availability of alternative sources of information. However, voters continue to support public library funding. In 2013, 41 measures for new library funding were approved by voters; 19 were rejected.
It has been argued that as library budgets are cut fewer people use them.
School libraries
With public funding declining for both libraries and schools,
school libraries
A school library (or a school library media center) is a library within a school where students, staff, and often, parents of a public or private school have access to a variety of resources. The goal of the school library media center is to e ...
face severe economic troubles.
The number of school librarians has declined, with many school librarians being laid off or assigned to other teaching duties. Between 2010 and 2011, salaries for new school librarians fell two percent. Moreover, the decline in school library services seems unlikely to end soon as schools seek ways to reduce costs and consolidate services. Of all libraries, school libraries seem most likely to feel the impact of cuts to library funding via
sequestration.
A study by ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
'', using statistics from the
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...
(NCES) showed that, "students in states that lost librarians tended to have lower reading scores—or had a slower rise on standardized tests—than those in states that gained librarians," and this effect couldn't be accounted for by overall staff reductions. In 2012 a joint study by the Education Law Center, the Health Sciences Library Consortium, and the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association demonstrated that "for all students, those with full-time librarians are almost three times as likely to have 'Advanced' writing scores as students without full-time librarians."
Nevertheless, school libraries will have to deal with shrinking budgets and changing roles for both librarians and libraries.
Some school libraries are using the budget crisis as a driver for innovation.
Benilde-St. Margaret's
Benilde-St. Margaret's is a Catholic, co-educational private prep school for grades 7–12 located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, that draws its over one thousand students from throughout the Twin Cities Metro Area. It is located in the Roma ...
School, a Catholic preparatory school, removed nearly all physical books from their school library in 2011.
Physical books were relocated to classrooms or donated to developing countries. According to Sue Skinner, Benilde-St. Margaret's principal, the school's commitment to ensuring all students receive their own computer made the change possible. Close cooperation with public libraries also ensured that students still had access to printed books. "We weren’t saying no to hard copy books," Skinner said. "But let's not duplicate what public and other libraries have."
According to a 2013
Pew Internet and American Life Project
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank (referring to itself as a "fact tank") based in Washington, D.C.
It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the wor ...
study, 85 percent of Americans age 16 and older think school and public libraries should "definitely" coordinate more closely with each other.
That statistic is matched among younger Americans. Eighty-seven percent of Americans under 30 also think public libraries should coordinate more closely with local schools.
See also
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Digital library
A digital library, also called an online library, an internet library, a digital repository, or a digital collection is an online database of digital objects that can include text, still images, audio, video, digital documents, or other digital me ...
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Information science
Information science (also known as information studies) is an academic field which is primarily concerned with analysis, collection, Categorization, classification, manipulation, storage, information retrieval, retrieval, movement, dissemin ...
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Librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
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Library science
Library science (often termed library studies, bibliothecography, and library economy) is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and ...
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Scholars' commons
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Bookless libraries
External links
''Circ Shift'' circulation statistics for U.S. libraries by
LibraryJournalLibrary total monthly circulationfor the
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is the public library system of the city and county of San Francisco. The Main Library is located at Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street. The library system has won several awards, such as ''Library Journals L ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trends in library usage
Library science
Social change