The LRS Number

Study finds that the learning environment at home prior to kindergarten impacts children’s academic performance in 5th grade

November 2017

A study recently published in Applied Developmental Science measured the connection between children’s home environments before kindergarten and children’s academic skills during their 5th grade year. The study found that “early home learning environments related to children’s academic skills up to 10 years later across all subgroups studied–White, Black, Hispanic, English-speaking, Hispanic Spanish-speaking” (13). Children’s […]

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation study shows that academic library employees remain mostly female and white despite a push for diversity

November 2017

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation recently released the results of a study examining diversity in academic libraries. Ithaka S+R was commissioned to survey member institutions of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to find out how the academic library community perceives its progress towards more inclusive and diverse libraries. Across the ARL libraries surveyed, about […]

Materials challenges in Colorado public libraries continue to drop

September 2017

Just in time for Banned Books Week, LRS’s latest Fast Facts report summarizes the results of our annual investigation into the materials that are challenged in public libraries across Colorado. This Fast Facts details the number, type, and reasons for the challenges reported in the 2016 Public Library Annual Report. The information that public libraries […]

Libraries are the Most Highly Trusted Resource for Information on Recent Pew Survey

September 2017

Image credit: Pew Internet A recent Pew survey shows that 40% of U.S. adults trust information from a local public library or librarians “a lot.” Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they trust libraries/librarians “some.” Totaling the percentage of respondents who trust a resource “a lot” or “some,” 83% trust health care providers, 82% trust family […]

The number of jobs posted to Library Jobline has nearly tripled since 2009

August 2017

 Library Jobline, LRS’s website for library job postings and resources, posted a record number of jobs in 2016 and saw a continued increase in the number of people using the website to post and search for jobs. Data collected from the Library Jobline website are highlighted in the most recent Fast Facts report. In 2016, […]

Utrecht University Library study examines the future of bookshelves in the library

August 2017

As libraries increasingly focus on digital information resources, librarians are left wondering what the interior of the library will look like in the future if most of their materials can be found online rather than on bookshelves. The Utrecht University Library (UUL) attempted to answer this question in a recent study undertaken to predict what […]

Freedman Consulting study finds strong bipartisan support for net neutrality rules

July 2017

A recent study conducted by Freedman Consulting found that Americans across the political spectrum support net neutrality. The study also found a bipartisan belief that access to the internet is essential and that the government should play a role in expanding internet access. About three-quarters (77%) of the survey respondents indicated that they believe the […]