Public

A survey of Colorado parents found that 75% read to their young children (ages 0-3) daily

January 2014

The Supporting Parents in Early Literacy through Libraries (SPELL) project recently presented findings from its study on effective strategies for developing early literacy messaging and support to low-income families and parents of children from birth to 3 years old. The project included an extensive environmental scan and literature review to find patterns and major trends […]

76% of Americans rated librarian assistance as very or somewhat important to them

January 2014

The Pew Internet & American Life Project recently released new research results from its report How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities. This powerful study explores what Americans (16 and older) value about public libraries, how libraries impact them and their families, and how they use and perceive libraries. Here are some highlights from […]

Top 5 interactive kits loaned by libraries

December 2013

According to Pew Internet & American Life Project’s newest study, How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities, 4 out of 5 Americans 16 and older think books and media are important services offered by libraries. So what kinds of things are included in that “media” category? At libraries across the country, interactive kits are […]

Colorado public libraries reported 39 challenges to materials and services in 2012

December 2013

Public libraries reported only 39 challenges to their materials and services in 2012, through LRS’s annual Public Library Annual Report. The number – down 35 percent from 2011 – is the lowest in at least nine years. More than half (51%) of the challenges pertain to books, though audiobook-related challenges rose by a substantial 550 […]

93% of the largest U.S. public libraries (serving 500,000+) are on Facebook

December 2013

Our new report, U.S. Public Libraries and the Use of Web Technologies, 2012, presents the findings of our longitudinal study of nearly 600 U.S. public libraries’ use of web technologies and social media. One of our main findings was that in 2012, the majority of libraries had social media accounts: Almost all (93%) of the […]

Bar chart showing average starting hourly wage by degree requirements, 2008-2012.
November 2013

Based on 5 years of job postings on our own Library Jobline, we’ve found that starting wages for library jobs are stagnant overall (see our Fast Facts). But this is only one piece of the pay equity puzzle: The American Library Association–Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) has published an updated Pay Equity Bibliography. The bibliography includes […]

Text reference increased by as much as 375% in U.S. public libraries from 2010 to 2012

November 2013

Earlier this week, we released a report, U.S. Public Libraries and the Use of Web Technologies, 2012, that presents the findings of our longitudinal study of nearly 600 U.S. public libraries’ use of web technologies and social media. One element that we examined was virtual reference–email, chat, and text. Our findings showed that in 2008, […]

November 2013

Our new report, U.S. Public Libraries and the Use of Web Technologies, 2012, presents the findings of the third iteration of our biennial study, launched in 2008, that documents the use of various web technologies (social networking, virtual reference, blogs, etc.) on the websites of nearly 600 public libraries throughout the nation. Our results showed […]