Library Research Service

Summer learning loss is a major issue that schools, libraries, and other community organizations try to alleviate through programming. Many children lose math and reading skills over the summer, and these losses are particularly steep for low-income children (click here for more info). What are the best ways to prevent summer learning loss and how can libraries incorporate best practices into their summer programming? The Wallace Foundation released a report in September 2016 sharing results of a multi-year evaluation on five free and voluntary summer learning programs offered by school districts. All of the programs had at least three hours of...

The Pew Research Center recently published the results of a survey studying technology use among adults ages 65 and older in the United States. They found that while technology adoption is slower among senior citizens, the rate of technology use among seniors is growing. The percentage of seniors using technology has increased dramatically in the past few years. Two-thirds (67%) of the seniors that were surveyed use the internet, and half (51%) report that they can access broadband internet in their homes. About 2 in 5 (42%) seniors reported that they own smartphones, up from about 1 in 5 (18%) just...

A recent study by the Stanford University School of Medicine found that library-based meal programs are an effective way to address food insecurity in low-income neighborhoods and can help patrons become aware of other community food resources. The researchers examined ten library meal programs in high-poverty areas in Silicon Valley in California. Food insecurity (FI) became a leading public health concern during the Great Recession. In 2015, 12.7% of U.S. households (about 16 million households) reported being food insecure at some point during the year, meaning that the household lacked the money or resources to access adequate food for themselves or...

The School Library Journal recently published the results of their 2017 Technology Survey and found that school librarians are experiencing increased spending on digital tools for their libraries, allowing school librarians to become technology leaders within their school districts. The survey found that the average amount spent on technology per school has increased by 75% in the past two years, from an average of $3,633 during the 2014/2015 school year to $6,257 in 2016/2017. School librarians are primarily responsible for tech usage in the library itself, but about half (45%) of the school librarians responding to the survey noted that they...

In January & February of 2017, Library Journal surveyed college and university libraries about their services for first-year students. The survey was sent to 12,000 academic libraries. In total, 543 schools participated: 399 four-year schools, and 144 two-year schools. The results were initially shared at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2017 conference. Respondents reported that, in their opinion, only 28% of first-year students are prepared for college-level research. Four-year and two-year academic librarians agreed that evaluating resources for reliability is a major challenge for first-year students. The majority of participating libraries (97%) reported that they offer information literacy instruction...

Have you ever wondered how Coloradans who are unable to read standard print access library services? With funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Colorado Talking Book Library (CTBL) is able to provide these patrons with audiobooks, large print books, Braille materials, descriptive videos, and more to ensure that every Coloradan is able to read. To find out what CTBL patrons think of the library services, the CTBL Patron Satisfaction Survey is administered to an age-stratified sample of CTBL patrons every 18 months. The survey seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the library and the patrons’ overall satisfaction...